If you qualify for a free subscription of After Capture , it will be delivered to you in hardcopy form. The June/July issue has a number of excellent articles (including one very helpful one about Lightroom, metadata and what happens behind the scenes in the application). I highly recommend taking a look at the website-AfterCapture.com. All the PDFs from the current and past issues can be downloaded there.

If you receive the magazine, I think you’ll agree that this month’s cover image by photographer Jude Goldman is spectacular. The sharpness, image quality and photo is fantastic. You can see the image in the opening spread of the story about Jude Goldman HERE.

If you’d like to download the PDF of my article without having to visit the site, you can do that by clicking HERE.

Since 2004, Kellner has conducted a juried exhibition of selected images from a group of people who he invites to submit work for consideration. The text below is from the exhibition page:

The exhibition photographers:network selection 2009 will take place June 27th till July 5th at studio Thomas Kellner Germany. On Saturday 27th visiting photographers meet at the Museum’s conference room for short lectures and artist’s talks. Sunday June 28th Art Galerie Siegen will present the awardwinning exhibition by Dirk Hanus.

photographers:network selection 2009 presents works by: Tamany Baker, Dietlinde Bamberger, Suzette Bross, Brian Buckley, Jill Cole, Nigel Dickinson, Kathryn Dunlevie, Lucia Ganieva, Meggan Gould, Daniel Handal, Dirk Hanus, Olga Hoffman, Pernille Koldbech Fich, Ferit Kuyas, Liu LiJie Silvia Morara, Susanne Opton, Qiu Jun Song, Qiu Zhen, Inger Lise Rasmussen, Elliot Ross, Toby Smith, Alvaro Villela, Wang XingLiang, Johan Willner,Yunsheng Geng

For more information about the exhibition, visit: http://www.tkellner.com/index.php?id=3794

Presenters include:

David Riecks
Allen Murabayashi
Chris Owyoung
Lou Manna
Garfield Hall

Below is some of the text from the event promo that was sent to me:

getMETAsmart NEW YORK!

June 22 / 4:45 to 9:00pm
School of the Visual Arts Theatre, 333 W. 23rd Street.

Please note that the new SVA theatre is located between 8th and 9th Ave on 23rd at the previous Clearview Cinema, not the amphitheater on the east side.

Register now at www.photometadata.org/getMETAsmart-NYC

This is a free event with reservations accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Register now to ensure your place and in order to be eligible for drawings of valuable software and services from Adobe, Microsoft, Camera Bits and Photoshelter.

Are you meta-smart?
If you create, distribute or use digital photos, you’d better be!

To protect your copyrights … To make money licensing photography … To smooth your workflow … To track image use … To find images you need … To find them again … You need to understand and use photo metadata.

We can help.

The Stock Artists Alliance, partnered with the Library of Congress and supported by industry partners, is on a mission to promote industrywide use of standard photo metadata in every digital image file.

Join us for at this free evening event and learn how to make metadata work for you to better protect your copyrights, support your licensing efforts, smooth your workflow, and better manage your digital assets.

We’ll show you why a meta-smart workflow is so critical, and share best practices, methods, and tips that make it easy to embed metadata.

These events are free but space is limited so reserve your place now!

About The Stock Artists Alliance

The Stock Artists Alliance is the only trade association focused on the business of stock photography. Learn more about SAA at www.stockartistsalliance.org

Update: I just noticed that the event is part of a series that has been occuring in other cities, with the following two remaining:

• Washington D.C. / June 25
• Atlanta / July 21

This full day lecture and printing workshop will include:

-Suggested inkjet printers for quality black and white printing (emphasis will be on Canon, Epson and HP printers and their standard pigmented multi-gray inksets, though information will be provided about dedicated black and white inkjet printing systems);

-Suggested color management hardware and software for black and white printing, and how to produce, install and use custom printer profiles;

-Tips for selecting inkjet papers for black and white printing;

-Demonstration of a step-by-step black and white printing workflow (Mac OSX will be used, but Windows-specific information will also be covered for those who use Windows XP or Windows Vista);

-Specific Photoshop and Lightroom tips for converting from color to black and white, and what to do and not to do before and after you convert your files,

-Links to and demonstrations of free actions to help optimize black and white print quality.

Many samples of black and white prints will be displayed and discussed, and each attendee who supplies a file will have two prints of one image printed on either an Epson or HP pigment-ink-based printer. Each participant will also receive a binder with course materials and a list of resources and materials, including recommended papers and canvases.

Enrollment is limited to just six participants.

Tuition for either workshop is $224 (plus $25 materials fee). Those who register by June 18 will receive a free 30 minute phone consultation with me after the workshop, as well as a signed 11×14 poster print of the photo: Chrysler Building (pictured below and limited to just 301 prints).

For more info, or to register, visit this page, call 908-790-8820 or email Nancy Ori at nancyori@comcast.net .

I just contributed a new column to Red Dog Journal, a website and e-mail newsletter focused mainly on fine-art photography. In the 5/6/2009 edition, I share an “Inkjet FAQ,” link to a recent podcast to which I contributed some info, and mention some upcoming workshops. You can find the article here, and to browse the archives, which contain many previous columns by me and others, visit this page.

To see more of Rick Sammon’s work, visit www.ricksammon.com and www.rickspixelmagic.com.

Location: Unique Photo 123 US Highway 46 West, Fairfield, NJ.
Time/Date: Wednesday, May 13th at 7:00pm-9:00pm

Cost: Free for ASMP members. $20 for non-ASMP members, non-members who register will receive a $20 Unique Photo Gift Card.
Please visit http://www.uniquephoto.com and click on “Unique University” to register.

Members need to contact Tom Stillman at stillphoto (at) comcast.net for free promotion code. Members must supply name and member number to receive their personal code.

Bob Krist Overview: Bob Krist is a freelance photographer who works regularly on assignment for magazines such as National Geographic Traveler, Smithsonian, and Islands. These assignments have taken him to all seven continents and have won awards in the Pictures of the Year, Communication Arts, and World Press Photo competitions. During his work, he has been stranded on a glacier in Iceland, nearly run down by charging bulls in southern India, and knighted with a cutlass during a Trinidad voodoo ceremony.

He won the title of “Travel Photographer of the Year” from the Society of American Travel Writers in 1994, 2007, and again at the 2008 convention. In 2000 his work was honored at the Eisenstaedt Awards for Magazine Photography in New York City. An accomplished writer as well as a photographer, Bob is a contributing editor at both National Geographic Traveler and Outdoor Photographer, where he writes a travel photography column. He lectures in Washington DC as part of the ongoing “Live at the National Geographic” series.

He teaches photo workshops for the Maine and Santa Fe Photo Workshops, National Geographic Expeditions, and Linblad Expeditions. A former professional actor, Bob hosted Nature’s Best Photography, a 13-part series for National Wildlife Productions on the Outdoor Life Network, and Photography Close Up, one of Cablevision’s “MagRack” series. Currently, he can be seen as the host of the PBS special Restoration Stories.

Bob Krist’s website: www.bobkrist.com/

I apologize for any inconvenience. This was not some elaborate publicity stunt! -Andrew

In this four hour lecture-style workshop, professional photographer
and retoucher Mark Beckelman will cover the following:

- Four in CS4 - the four new features you must know!
- Professional RAW workflow using Bridge, Lightroom and Adobe
Camera RAW
- Working with Smart Objects
- Portrait retouching techniques
- Adding drama and creative interpretation to your images

Some examples of Mark Beckelman’s retouching:

Photography and retouching © Mark Beckelman

Before (Left) and After (Right) Photography © Bruce Byers, retouching by Mark Beckelman

Before (Right) and After (Left) Photo © Linde Waidhofer, retouching by Mark Beckelman

Multiple “head swaps” of a family portrait - Photography and retouching © Mark Beckelman

A composite image made from the two images shown. Photography and retouching © Mark Beckelman

Optional: For an additional $49, you may submit one image of your choice (or two images if you have a composite)
and Mark Beckelman will spend at least 15 minutes retouching it during the lecture. Images must be sent at least one day in advance via e-mail (instructions will be sent to you).

I’ll be covering printing tips with CS4 for about 45 minutes during the 4 hour event.

For more info, and to take advantage of a $20 discount off the $89 price of the event, visit this page to sign up for my free Inkjet & Imaging Tips Newsletter. You will receive a link to the event with the code embedded.

The main info/registration page for the event is:
http://ps4lecture.eventbrite.com

All the best,
Andrew

Here is a quick overview of the time and location:

WHAT: Photo Exhibition: GRANDmarks - NYC
WHEN: Sunday, April 5 - noon-4pm (lecture/slide presentation at 3:00pm)
WHERE: Alfa Art Gallery, 108 Church Street - New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(located just a few blocks from the New Brunswick train station)

More info can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/cuprxo

And some of the photos from the show can be found here:
http://www.alfaart.org/exhibitions_events_adarlow.html

Hope to see you there!

The entrance to Alfa Art Gallery - photo © Jim Roselli

Prints on canvas by Andrew Darlow - photo © Jim Roselli

Andrew Darlow striking a pose in front of his prints - photo © Jim Roselli

Andrew Darlow giving a presentation about the GRANDmarks project - photo © Jim Roselli

Andrew Darlow’s book and 11×14 poster prints - photo © Jim Roselli

The show is on exhibit until April 15, 2009. Gallery hours are T-Sat. 11am-6pm, and the address is:

Alfa Art Gallery
108 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Voice: 848-219-4659

Get Directions Directly to Alfa Art Gallery (via Google Maps)

Additional Links:
For more info about the show, visit this page.
And to see some of the images from the show, visit this page.

Events at Alfa Art Gallery (select either to go to the info/registration page):
Ron Wyatt-Olympic Visions-4/2/2009
Andrew Darlow-Fine Art Inkjet Printing-4/4/2009

For pricing and more specific information, visit the registration page at:

http://darlow44.eventbrite.com

and for more about the exhibition, visit this page.

The opening reception is on Friday, March 27 from 6-9pm. I’ve also arranged a lecture with photographer Ron Wyatt on 4/2 and an inkjet printing workshop on 4/4 (links to the events can be found at the bottom of this post).

Pigment Inkjet Print on Canvas © Andrew Darlow

Below is the press release for the show:

GRANDmarks - NYC
Photographer Andrew Darlow to Exhibit Prints of New York City Landmarks.

New Brunswick, NJ, March 2, 2009 - Alfa Art Gallery is pleased to announce the solo exhibition “GRANDmarks - NYC,” a series of prints created by award winning author and photographer Andrew Darlow. This collection of Darlow’s photographic work features New York City landmarks, including the Empire State Building, The Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn Bridge and The Flatiron Building. Two distinct groups of prints will share the gallery’s walls–framed color inkjet prints on paper, and black and white large-scale inkjet prints on canvas. Many of the images will be shown for the first time ever.

The exhibition will be on display from March 27 through April 15, 2009 at Alfa Art Gallery, 108 Church Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08901. An artist’s reception and book signing will be held on Friday, March 27, 2009 from 6:00pm–9:00pm, and is open to the public. At 7:30pm, Andrew Darlow will conduct a brief lecture about the series. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-7pm.

“New York City has held a special place in my heart and soul for as long as I can remember, says Darlow. The city’s landmarks, from iconic restaurants to historic bridges and skyscrapers, have drawn me in with their magical beauty and presence. Through this body of work, I intend to share my love for the city, while giving viewers a look through my lens.”

The printing processes Darlow chose for this show includes canvas, fiber gloss/fiber semi-gloss, and watercolor papers, all produced by Darlow on Epson and HP pigment ink printers. A series of workshops by Andrew Darlow as well as other photographers will be held throughout the exhibition period. For more information, visit www.alfaart.org.

About Andrew Darlow: Andrew Darlow is a photographer, author and digital imaging consultant. He has lectured and conducted seminars and workshops around the world at photo-related conferences, and for photography organizations, including the Advertising Photographers of America (APA), The Center for Fine Art Photography, the Arles Photo Festival and the International Center of Photography (ICP). His editorial and fine-art work have been featured in numerous magazines, including Photo District News, PDN Gear Guide, Popular Photography, Professional Photographer, Rangefinder, and Studio Photography magazine. His work has been widely exhibited and his prints are held in many private collections.

Darlow is editor of The Imaging Buffet (www.imagingbuffet.com), an online resource with news, reviews, and interviews covering the subjects of photography, printing, and new media. His new book, “301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques: An Essential Printing Resource for Photographers” (Course Technology, PTR) was recently chosen as the winner in the “Photography: Instructional/How-To” category of The National Best Books 2008 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News. For more information, visit the book’s companion site at www.inkjettips.com.

About Alfa Art Gallery: Located in historic downtown New Brunswick, NJ, Alfa Art Gallery exhibits a variety of modern art (photography, sculpture, paintings and drawings), and conducts frequent open studios with their exhibiting artists. The gallery is within walking distance of Rutgers University and the New Brunswick Train Station (Amtrak and NJ Transit) for easy access from New York or Philadelphia.
###

For an overview and to see more images from the show, visit this page on AlfaArt’s website. A lecture on April 2 by photographer Ron Wyatt, and an inkjet printing workshop on April 4 can be found on the same page of the site.

After taking a look at the site, I’m very impressed by the content that’s already there, including:

• Facebook posting from iPhoto in just a few steps;
• Assigning a place in iPhoto; and
• How to make Quick Keywords in iPhoto

The site’s home page can be found at MacCreate.com.

Below is a partial list of the products that were introduced and/or featured:

Leica’s New System Flash and Wide-Angle Lens
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
Kodak EasyShare Z915
Video: Olympus E-620 DSLR
Casio EX-FC100 & EX-FS10
Sony Cyber-shot HX1
Datacolor Spyder Cube
Lowepro Pro Roller X
Delkin Devices Fat Gecko
Western Digital ShareSpace (8 Terabyte NAS)
Canon PIXMA Pro 9500 MKII

All the videos can be viewed from this page on imaging-resource.com.

And for an overview with many press releases and a great list of links to PMA coverage by other websites (look in the bottom right), visit this page.

To add a small item on a related subject, I think that testing all the lenses you own with the camera on a tripod, shooting at a map or other flat object using autofocus at a fairly wide open aperture (f4 or f5.6) in good lighting can help to determine if the sensor and lens are properly in sync with regard to focus (many lenses have “issues” in one or more of the corners of the frame, which can show up as slight blurriness/darkening/chromatic aberrations). If all your lenses show a problem (such as blurriness in the same area), that may point to a problem with the sensor.

You can read Scott’s 15 steps here on TWiPphoto.com. The comments from readers/listeners of the site are also always worth a look.

I enjoy listening to photographers talk about photography, and this interview is no exception. Michael Freeman shares a lot of good info about composition, as well as many other topics, and Victor Cajiao has a great way of communicating with his guests.

I also contributed 5 tips related to composition for the show. That audio follows the interview.

A direct link to the audio interview and my 5 tips segment can be found here.

- April 26-29_Getting Up To Speed With Photoshop and Inkjet Printing with Don Polzo;

- April 26-29_Natural Light with Nancy Ori;

- April 29– May 3 _Cape May Masters Photography Workshop with Chip Forelli;

- May 6 – 9_Photographing People and Places with Harvey Stein;

- April 29- May 3 _Painting in Watercolor with Mindy Lighthipe; and

- May 6- 9_Oil Painting in the Landscape with Gerry Heydt.

This workshop series looks to be an outstanding opportunity both for photographers and for those who want to further explore painting and drawing. I’ve conducted a number of workshops at Nancy Ori Studios over the past year, and I think that she does a great job with everything related to the entire process.

For more information, or to register for a workshop, visit www.nancyoriphotography.com.

Nancy Ori can be reached at 908-790-882 or via-mail: nancyori@comcast.net

The founder of The Center for Fine Art Photography, Larry Padgett, recently stepped down as The Center’s Executive Director to focus on consulting and marketing services for photographers. I’ve had many positive experiences working with Larry over the last few years, and I believe that he has a lot of experience and knowledge to offer photographers. Below is a portion of the press release containing additional info:

Larry Padgett, founder of The Center for Fine Art Photography, has recently begun offering his knowledge and expertise in business development, marketing and sales to photographers. With more than 30 years experience, of which the past 15 years have been concentrated in photography, Larry offers a wealth of practical guidance for emerging and established photographers.

Larry provides one-on-one consulting, lectures and workshops for those who want to increase their sales and visibility. He also offers workshops on Internet marketing. During his five-year tenure with the Center, he quickly established its Google page rank to 6 out of 10, and within the top 10 returns in excess of 65 million for fine art photography.

Dedicated to helping fine art and commercial photographers achieve their goals, Larry provides guidance in integrating imagery, marketing materials and sales strategies tailored to the specific needs, resources and personalities of his clients. He easily relates to the challenges of being a successful photographer having spent more than ten years as a successful commercial and fine art photographer

For more information about Larry Padgett and his services, visit PhotoBizGuru.com.

Ben Willmore
Stephen Johnson
Joe McNally
Chris Rainier
Kevin Ames
John Paul Caponigro
Vincent Versace
Eddie Tapp
Seth Resnick
Eddie Soloway
Rick Sammon

For more information, visit the Focus on Nature links below:

Focus on Nature home page:
http://www.focusonnature.is/
Focus on Nature 2009 program:
http://www.focusonnature.is/id/1000201
Focus on Nature News:
http://www.focusonnature.is/id/1000006
Subscribe free to Focus on Nature News:
http://www.focusonnature.is/id/1000178

I have included the specific upgrade info below from Adobe’s press release:

The introductory pricing offer applies to Creative Suite 4 Design Premium, Design Standard, Web Premium, Web Standard and Production Premium. For individual point products, customers can upgrade to CS4 from up to three previous versions. The only exception is Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, to which customers can upgrade from any previous version of Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe Premiere. For more details on pricing, visit www.adobe.com/creativesuite.

This offer also applies to Creative Suite 4 upgrades purchased through the Adobe corporate and government volume licensing programs. For more information on volume licensing, visit www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/openoptions/. Additionally, Adobe offers discounted pricing to eligible education customers; those discounts are unchanged by the introductory pricing offer. For more information about education pricing, visit www.adobe.com/education/purchasing/.

Ron’s photographs are fantastic, and you can see many more of his images here.

Location: Apple Retail Store: 401 W 14th Street New York City, NY 10014
Date: Friday, February 20, 2009
Time: 7pm
Admission is free, though seating is limited.

Andrew Darlow (right) with three attendees from a recent (and very similar) three hour semi-private workshop at Xact Studios. A selection of prints made by the participants are displayed on the table. SoLux lamps and bulbs with a range of color temperatures can be seen above the table.

For more information or to register, visit this page on Eventbrite.com.

I also recently offered subscribers to my Inkjet and Imaging Tips Newsletter a special discount for the workshops. If you’d like to receive the same discount, feel free to sign up for the free newsletter. The link for the discount will be in your welcome e-mail after you confirm your subscription. You’ll also receive links to a resolution chart in PDF form and information about how to determine file sizes for printing. To subscribe, you can fill out the form to the right, or you can just send a blank e-mail here: inkjettips01@aweber.com.

• Consider the cost of the printer;
• Consider the printer’s output quality and speed;
• Consider the printer’s black-and-white output; and
• Consider the inks that are used

If you don’t receive the magazine, you can read all the issues in PDF form by visiting this page (my article is the last one in the list). Or, you can download the article as a PDF here.

The print version of AfterCapture is also available free to qualified photographic professionals. You can find the subscription page here.

Related Links & Downloads:

Many articles contained in Rangefinder Magazine (the sister pub of AfterCapture, and a magazine I highly recommend) are available as downloadable PDFs on this page of the Rangefinder website.

Rangefinder magazine is free to qualified photographic professionals. You can find the page to submit your information for a print subscription here.

Over the last year, I’ve contributed some images and tips to a few Rangefinder and AfterCapture articles. They are available below for download:

• Feature article in the July 2008 Rangefinder Magazine: Andrew Darlow: Serving Up a Buffet of Imaging and Output Tips (downloadable PDF)

• February 2008 article in AfterCapture Magazine to which I contributed images and printing tips: MarketingMojo: Your Future is an Open Book (downloadable PDF)

Visit this page to view the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWaWiRuXw2g

Thanks to http://twitter.com/apanewyork for the link.

SEPIA International Exhibition is currently presenting a group photo exhibition entitled “light/dark.” The show runs from 1/9 - 2/21/2009 and features the work of Linda Connor, Sookang Kim, Michelle Kloehn, Yukio Oyama, and Go Sugimoto.

To read the press release for the exhibition, visit this page.
To see a collection of the images from the show, visit this page.
That adds another “to do” item to my list!

Below is the text describing the event (from Foto Care’s website):

Join us on January 21st for a special presentation by fashion photographer Matthew Jordan Smith at Splashlight Studios. You will have the opportunity to take part in a hands-on learning experience to improve your knowledge of lighting techniques and image workflow using Phase One Capture One and Microsoft Expression Media.

Matthew will share beauty lighting techniques used for clients such as Olay and Pantene. He will also share fashion tips he has learned shooting editorials such as those seen in American Vogue, Brides Magazine, People and Essence, and in his appearances on America’s Next Top Model. See how a Pro sets up the shot and uses workflow software to inspire creativity and create stunning images.

Location:
Splashlight Studios SOHO
One Hudson Square
75 Varick St., Third Floor
New York, NY 10013

Date and Times:
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
3:00pm - 5:30pm or
6:30pm - 9:00pm Cost: Free

Registration:
Space is limited,
email seminars@fotocare.com
or call (212) 741-2990 to register

Related Links

The Matthew Jordan Smith Experience website

Matthew Jordan Smith’s blog (ed. note: this blog offers a wonderful look behind the scenes with a great photographer. For example, he recently uploaded photos showing his lighting on location, as well as many photos from a trip to India a few years ago.)

Matthew Jordan Smith on PDNgallery.com (Icons Online)
(ed. note: another fantastic group of images, plus a Q&A with Matthew Jordan Smith and short video segments about different experiences he’s had over his career.)

And happy new year once again!

A two-page PDF brochure with pricing and information can be found here. To register, call Nancy Ori Studio at (908) 790-8820 or e-mail Nancy Ori here.