• Lens selection for different uses
• Ideal sizes for Apple Aperture catalogs (number of images)
• Video techniques with the new DSLR’s that have video, such as the Canon EOS 7D
• How to deal with condensation in cold weather

You can listen to the show and/or read the show notes on the show’s website HERE.

While you’re there, you’ll see a lot of great episodes with Scott Bourne and Rick Sammon, as well as a lot of other helpful advice from folks who’ve “been there and shot that.”

1. LR Fine Art Mounting and Framing (Booth #165)

Have you ever wanted to get your work face mounted to Plexiglas, mounted on dibond (a relatively lightweight and very stable material) or other material? If so, you may know that it is not an easy process to do well. LR Fine Art Mounting and Framing of New York City has large printed and mounted samples, as well as a table full of samples of their mounting processes. One especially impressed me. It was a matte inkjet print mounted on a board, which was then mounted on either aluminum or dibond.

website: http://www.l2mounting.com

2. HP (Booth #136)

The HP booth at PhotoPlus expo is worth a trip just to see the award-winning books from the Photography.Book.Now Winners 2009 competition. Yesterday, I recommended stopping by the Blurb booth to check out their many outstanding book samples. Blurb uses HP Indigo printers exclusively for their books, and all of the books were produced by the company. According to the site, “Rafal Milach, a professional photographer from Warsaw, Poland, was awarded the $25,000 Grand Prize for Black Sea of Concrete. Mr. Milach’s work, shot on the coast of Ukraine, was chosen as the most creative, most innovative and finest self-published photography book by an esteemed panel of judges led by Darius Himes, a co-founder of Radius Books.”

While you’re there, I also recommend seeing Joel Meyerowitz’s limited edition hardcover book printed by HP using an Indigo printer. There is a tipped-in photo on the front which is a look that I really like. The book, entitled The Hallett, is an exclusive limited-edition book exploring the Hallett Nature Sanctuary in Central Park. It includes images not featured in Meyerowitz’s new book Legacy (a spectacular book definitely worth seeing). An archival pigment-ink print made personally by Joel Meyerowiz is also included in the box set available from Aperture (the Aperture.org link below shows the limited edition set and offers a full explanation of its contents).

And I also highly recommend checking out the exhibition of prints near the upstairs entrance to the Javits Center (in front of the registration desk). The exhibition highlights the winners of the Magnum Expression Photography Award.

From the Magnum Blog: “The Magnum Expression Photography Award was established by Magnum Photos and HP with the goal of raising awareness and inspiring change through campaigns using photography as an expressive medium. Its mission is to discover and illuminate compelling documentary photography employed in innovative ways to affect social awareness and propel humanitarian compassion.”

The inaugural theme for the 2009 award was Communities.

websites:
http://www.hp.com
http://www.aperture.org/boxed-meyerowitz.html
HP Magnum Expression Awards websites:
http://expression.magnumphotos.com/
http://blog.magnumphotos.com/2009/02/the_magnum_expression_award.html

3. Nikon (Booth #501)

Nikon has a large stage this year and many noted photographers who are speaking about their work and the Nikon equipment they use. There are a number of huge prints at the booth worth a look–one of which by Rob Van Petten shot with the Nikon D3x of a woman with very long eyelashes is spectacular.

http://www.nikon.com

4. Sony (Booth #618)

The Sony booth is huge this year at PhotoPlus, and the prints in their booth and in lightboxes throughout the show floor should not be missed. Many photographers are speaking at the booth, and most if not all are shooting with the Sony Alpha 900 DSLR. I had an opportunity to see a portion of photographer Matthew Jordan Smith’s talk. He specializes in portraiture and his work is truly outstanding. What’s great about many presentations on the show floor (including Matthew’s) is that photographers often share the story behind the photos they’ve taken, including, for example, learning what a client likes or dislikes so that you can prepare ahead of time.

website: http://www.Sony.com

5. Op/tech USA (Booth #1151)

If you want to see some very nicely designed camera straps that really help keep your strap on your shoulder (or more comfortable when you have a strap around your neck), as well as many gadgets related to keeping your camera dry and more stable while shooting, stop by this booth. The neoprene lens and camera protectors are also impressive.

website: http://www.optechusa.com

In the interest of time (and sleep), I will post photos to go with many of these after the show is over. Until then, here’s a small sampling of what impressed me greatly when I was there on Thursday 10/22/09.

1. Blurb (Booth #361) My mouth was wide open saying words like “amazing” and “holy cow” when I saw the incredible books made by Blurb from imagery and text submitted by their clients. The hardbound wraparound photo covers have such a nice look and feel. Coupled with the high quality printing and impressive design of so many of the books, it was a joy to look at the collections of images.

website: http://www.blurb.com

2. Canon (Booth #120,220) Canon’s booth is huge, and includes a stage with rotating presentations by many notable photographers. Another great thing about this showx, as with many other camera manufacturers, is the ability to hold and try out just about any current model camera body and lens that the company offers. Also, don’t miss the huge panoramic print by George Lepp on the wall. It is an HDR stitched panorama made from 66 images (shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and printed on the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF9100 inkjet printer.

website: http://www.canonusa.com

3. Epson (Booth #805) Epson always shows truly impressive work on the walls, and this year is no exception. One photo on the wall by Stephen Wilkes printed on Epson Exhibition Fiber is so riveting both in content and color that I could not take my eyes off it. Look for the blue photo–it’s not that big, but you can’t miss it. You can also see the new Epson Stylus Pro 3880 17-inch-wide printer, as well as some prints made using the printer. The black and white imagery from the 3880 and the Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900 are pretty spectacular.

website: http://www.epson.com

4. Hahnemühle (Booth #754) The sheer number of fine-art papers in the Hahnemühle booth is staggering. Whether you use an inkjet printer or not, I highly recommend taking some time to look at the following in their booth:

• A truly outstanding black and white portfolio of prints of Japan by Craig Stevens. They were printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. The company recently announced a heavier weight version of the paper–Photo Rag Baryta FB 350gsm.

• A beautifully made sample book (about 11×17 in size and located near the coatings display). It contains most if not all of their fine-art papers, including their new Sugar cane paper.

• Hahnemühle Gallerie Wraps Canvas stretching system.

website: http://www.Hahnemuhle.com

5. Moab Paper (Booth #630) Moab recently unveiled some great looking portfolio books named ICE NINE, in 8×9 and 12×13 inch format. Also, the company has a great sample rack with their entire photo line. I made a print for their booth this year, and the company printed up a card with one of my photos and a partially excerpted tip from my book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques. I also recommend checking out the Moab Somerset Photo Satin 300 paper, as well as the amazing botanical image by Barbara Bordnick printed on the company’s Moenkopi Japanese Washi. Very impressive.

website: http://www.moabpaper.com

The PhotoPlus Expo continues until 10/24/2009 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. Visit this page for more info or to register.

Creative Blur has been used from the very early days of photography both intentionally to create a certain look, and because of the inherent characteristics of lenses, apertures and cameras with swings and tilts, such as 4×5 and 8×10 view cameras.

Today we have many options for using blur creatively in-camera and in post production. A popular and innovative family of lenses called Lensbabies allows for creative blur in-camera without the need for any software. And one software application from Alien Skin Software (Bokeh) allows you to take creative blur to a whole new level.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how you can quickly and easily transform the look of a photo or illustration in Photoshop by introducing blur on various sections of the image. Photoshop CS3 or CS4 are recommended, but you can use other blur tools and other applications to create similar effects.

STEP 1: Open your image and duplicate the Background Layer by dragging the background layer onto the copy layer icon at the bottom of the Layer palette, or by selecting the Background layer and choosing Layer>Duplicate Layer> then name the layer.

Fig. 1: Original Photo, which has been moderately sharpened overall (photo © Andrew Darlow)

STEP 2: Select the Background copy layer. It’s a good idea to rename it to something like “Blur Layer”. Then apply a blur over the entire image using Filter>Blur>Lens Blur. There are many variables and options available in this tool. I used the options shown in Fig 2.

Fig. 2: Lens Blur tool in action (photo © Andrew Darlow)

STEP 3: While the top Layer is selected, create a Layer mask by Option (PC: Alt) Clicking on the Layer Mask icon (Fig. 3). That will conceal the blur and allow you to paint it in selectively.

Fig. 3: Duplicated layer with Layer mask

STEP 4: Select the Layer Mask icon and choose a shade of gray or pure white depending on the strength of the blur that you’d like. Then paint in the shade of white or gray you choose using a soft brush. About 100-300 pixels in size and 0 hardness works well for medium-resolution images (about 8-10 megapixel camera images, or 24-30MB in 8-bit RGB, which is 48-60MB in 16-bit RGB). Experiment to determine the best brush size for your images. I like to use the bracket keys “[ ]” to make the brush size larger and smaller as I work because it is fast. The mask that I created and edited can be seen in Fig 4.

Fig 4: The painted layer mask can be seen in the top of the layers palette, and the final image is shown to the left. (photo © Andrew Darlow)

STEP 5: Examine your work and switch to black in your color picker to paint back sharpness, or switch to another shade to make the blur effect stronger or weaker in any area of your image.

Fremont, CA, October 15, 2009 – Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, announced today it will host presentations from critically acclaimed Lexar® Elite Photographers Jerry Avenaim, Douglas Dubler, and Rick Sammon during PhotoPlus Expo 2009 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. These world-renowned digital photographers will share their latest work, imaging tips and techniques, and best practices with visitors in the Lexar Media booth (#1036) on October 22-24, 2009. Additional information on these and other Lexar Elite Photographers, as well as their photography and techniques can be found at www.lexar.com/dp.

“Photographers worldwide trust Lexar to protect the images that matter most to them. For Jerry, Douglas, and Rick, their images are their passion, and each of these renowned photographers rely on Lexar Professional memory cards to help capture award-winning images,” said Jeff Cable, director of marketing, Lexar Media. “We are proud to have professionals of their caliber in the Lexar Media booth at PhotoPlus Expo to showcase their latest work and share digital imaging tips and experiences with attendees.”

Each professional photographer trusts Lexar Professional flash memory cards and card readers as staples in their respective digital imaging workflows. Celebrity and fashion photographer Jerry Avenaim relies on the speed and dependability of his equipment when photographing A-list actors or world-famous models. Fashion and beauty photographer Douglas Dubler requires dependable gear to seamlessly combine craft and creativity to produce some of the most memorable images in editorial, advertising, and fine art photography. Travel photographer Rick Sammon shoots in exotic locations around the world and must have the most durable and reliable accessories to withstand severe shooting conditions.

These Lexar Elite Photographers will share their work and digital imaging practices with visitors in the Lexar Media booth (#1036) between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm each day of PhotoPlus Expo. The schedule of in-booth presentations are as follows:

-          Jerry Avenaim –
Thursday, October 22 at 1:00 pm
Friday, October 23 at 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm
Saturday, October 24 at 12:00 pm

-          Douglas Dubler –
Thursday, October 22 at 2:00 pm
Friday, October 23 at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm
Saturday, October 24 at 1:30 pm

-          Rick Sammon –
Thursday, October 22 at 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm
Friday, October 23 at 1:00 pm
Saturday, October 24 at 2:30 pm

Aimed at professionals in the photographic and imaging industries and held annually at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, PhotoPlus Expo showcases the latest advances in photography. The annual event provides attendees with the opportunity to explore an inspiring array of photography, design, and imaging products and services – everything from image capture and color management to retouching and storage – all from the industry’s leading manufacturers. The show also offers more than 100 photography and design seminars and hands-on workshops taught by world-renowned experts with a focus on cutting-edge innovations in digital imaging products and techniques.

Follow us online!
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lexarmedia
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LexarMedia

About Lexar Media
Lexar Media is a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of NAND flash and DRAM memory products under the Lexar and Crucial® brand names. Lexar offers products in all major flash and DRAM memory categories, including consumer and enterprise-level USB flash drives, industry-leading memory cards for photography, and all popular form factors of memory cards for mobile devices. For computers, Lexar also offers a full range of DRAM computer memory upgrades for PCs and Mac® systems, and solid state drives (SSDs). An industry leader in innovative, patented flash memory technology, Lexar is vertically integrated with Micron Technology, one of the largest semiconductor manufacturers worldwide.

For more information about Lexar, visit www.lexar.com. For more information about Crucial products, visit www.crucial.com, www.crucial.com/uk or www.crucial.com/eu. Lexar Media, Inc. is a subsidiary of Micron Technology, Inc. Lexar Media is a division of Micron Europe Limited, a division of Micron Semiconductor Asia Pte. Ltd., and a division of Micron Japan, Ltd.

Lexar. When Memory Matters.™

About Micron
Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets DRAM, NAND flash memory, CMOS image sensors, other semiconductor components, and memory modules for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, and mobile products. Micron’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the MU symbol. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc., visit www.micron.com.

The show runs from Wednesday, October 21 to Saturday, November 14. The Opening Reception is Wednesday, October 21, from 6 to 8 pm at SVA Gallery: 209 East 23 Street / New York, NY 10010 / 212.592.2145

To see images from the show, and/or to get directions to the gallery, visit:
http://surface-tension-exhibit.com

and for more information about the MPS Digital Photography program, visit
http://www.sva.edu/digitalphoto

When: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - Doors open at 6pm for event. Seminar starts promptly at 6:30pm and runs untll 7:45pm.

Where: Alfa Art Gallery
108 Church St
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Admission Fee: $10 per person (No RSVP is necessary. Payment will be collected at the door)

Below is the Seminar Description:

Outdoor Photography Tips - Getting the Most From Your Digital Camera.

During this lecture-style seminar, Andrew Darlow will cover the following topics:

- Basic tips for getting great quality images from almost any camera (even camera phones).
- Some recommended software programs that you can use to edit your pictures (some are free).
- Tips for getting great camera angles and expressions from people and animals.
- Tips for using flash outdoors.
- Tips for better motion photography
- An explanation of Aperture and Shutter Priority with tips for how to use some of your camera’s scene modes.
- How to prepare your pictures for photo labs.
- How to eliminate red eye in your photos.

In addition, Andrew will describe some of the techniques as well as the printing processes used for many of the images in his show, East + West (currently on display at Alfa Art Gallery).

Up to 10 signed posters featuring Andrew Darlow’s work will also be given away during the event to attendees

No RSVP is necessary to attend. Payment will be collected at the door ($10 per person).

The fee for either full-day workshop is just $179. I’d also like to offer a $30 discount on either of the two workshops to our readers, which is valid if you register by Thursday, 9/10.

For more information or to register for the Saturday 9/12 workshop (the discount code is embedded), visit this page.

For more information or to register for the Sunday 9/13 workshop (the discount code is embedded), visit this page.

For either day, the page will display “sold out” at the top if all 8 seats have been reserved.

All the best!

Andrew

If you’d like to rub shoulders with Oprah (ever heard of the “Oprah Effect?”), or Conan (did you see the great appearance by microscopic artist Willard Wigan on his show not too long ago?), or get a nice writeup in your local newspaper, you should read the article, which you can find here.

I recently wrote in my column on RedDogJournal.com about how much I’ve learned from artprintissues.com as well as Barney Davey’s book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market. Here’s what I wrote:

I recently finished reading Davey’s book, How to Profit from the Art Print Market. It is a fantastic resource for anyone who would like to sell art. Just the links section in the back of the book is well worth the cost. You can find a link to it as well as a free Chapter download on the Artprintissues.com blog (top right-hand corner).

Below is the show information:

East + West: Photographs of New York and Japan by Andrew Darlow
Curated by Michiko Mull
August 28 - September 16, 2009

Alfa Art Gallery
108 Church Street
New Brunswick, NJ 08901

Opening Reception: Friday, August 28 @ 6:30-9pm
Lecture and Slide Show by Andrew Darlow at 7pm

At 7pm on August 28, I’ll be showing slides from my trips to North America, Europe and Japan over the last 20 years. Following the presentation, I will have 11×14 prints and large posters available for purchase.

I hope to see some ImagingBuffet.com readers there!

For more information, visit:
http://www.alfaart.org/exhibitions_events.php#eastwest

Instead of choosing sections of the release to highlight, below is the full press release describing the book, as well as Timothy Wolcott’s very interesting background. You can see Wolcott’s impressive work at
www.GalleryoftheAmericanLandscape.com. The book also includes essays by Michael Reichmann and Matt Jaffe.

Big Bear Lake, CA (PRWEB) July 15, 2009 — Along the Water’s Edge, published by the Gallery of the American Landscape, is a volume of exceptional photographs made over the past twenty years. Timothy Wolcott, a fine art landscape photographer and pioneer in pigment photography, has captured images of rivers, streams, waterfalls and oceans like you have never seen them. Shooting with medium and large format camera systems, Wolcott’s talents for composition and timing evoke the elusive spirit of a place.

Tim is considered one of the world’s most eco-friendly photographers. He was a co-inventor of Evercolor, the first environmentally sound and virtually non-fading photo printing process. He also pioneered inkjet printing and has served as head consultant for the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress where his photographs have been exhibited. They are also on display at his own gallery, Big Bear Lake Gallery, which was designed in 1996 — the world’s first gallery utilizing exclusively eco-friendly processes including all archival and eco-friendly framing and matting.

Along the Water’s Edge, is an eco-friendly book using only FSC certified paper. Each carefully selected image has been printed to match tonal range of the shadows, brilliant highlights, and luminous color of Wolcott’s hand-crafted exhibition prints. A hexachrome printing process was used to render each image’s richly saturated color and subtle detail.

The images in this book were captured during the past 20 years and represent hundreds of thousands of miles traveled and hours of patient searching for the perfect location, the perfect moment, the perfect light. The book includes a complete list of equipment and technical information.

Many of the original photographs comprising the book’s 79 images have been exhibited in museums, private corporations and fine art galleries worldwide. Wolcott’s work is represented in exhibits at Smithsonian, Library of Congress, Photography West and other Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) galleries worldwide.

Along the Water’s Edge is available now in three versions via the web site at:

http://www.galleryoftheamericanlandscape.com/book.html

• Museum Edition with Exhibition Print — First edition of 500 signed and numbered hardbound books in a handcrafted slipcase with a hand made exhibition print signed and numbered by the artist $250
• Collector’s Book Edition — First edition of 500 signed and numbered hardbound books $150
• Trade Edition — First edition hardbound book $50

About Tim Wolcott

Tim Wolcott is a master landscape photographer and eco-friendly artist. Owner of Big Bear Lake Gallery (www.GalleryoftheAmericanLandscape.com), Wolcott belongs to a tradition of American innovation. His ancestor Alexander Wolcott received the first patent for a camera in America and created the first photography exhibition in 1840 and owned the first studio.

Although as Wolcott describes it, photography is less about technology than about the light that creates the image, Wolcott credits Copenhagen-based Phase One (www.phaseone.com) with technical innovations that have permitted him to capture a much wider range of light with beautiful shadow detail and rich white highlights that renders extremely rich colors previously not possible with other camera systems. It’s this combination of shooting styles - mixing the old and the new - that allows him to produce such superior imagery. In the end, he declares, “There are no short cuts. Great photography requires understanding light and composition, vision and patience - simple discipline - simple but never easy.”

As an inventor working with the Evercolor group in 1991, he helped design the world’s first eco-friendly process - using no chemicals or heavy metals — for color photographic prints. To this day no other process has beaten its longevity (250 years with 10% fade). Tim started working with inkjet technology in 1996, trying to make the first pigment inkjet photographs. And in 1995, he helped make the first paper for the process. Since then he continues to help design the right pigments, papers or coatings for what fine art photographers are using today and in the future.

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.
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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.