More news in the photography eBook realm this week. This new book was released recently and has proven to be very popular with readers and reviewers. Natural Light – Mastering a Photographer’s Most Powerful Tool by Mitchell Kanashkevich is an in-depth guide on how to harness natural light to enhance the mood, atmosphere, and quality of images.
Launch sale ends May 22 (25% off), it can be found here: Natural Light
Developing an understanding of how natural light works and how to work with it can help you hone your photographic skill and broaden your creative horizons without spending more money on sophisticated and expensive photographic equipment.
This 96 page eBook is written and illustrated to provide a complete, comprehensive guide to using natural light in photography.
Some of the Many Topics Covered:
Understand the essential qualities of natural light
Master the technical components including exposure, metering, and the histogram
Learn expert methods to control natural light to suit your creative needs
Grasp the potential of harsh light, diffused light, fog, twilight, and other settings
Learn to sculpt light, create light interplay, reveal silhouettes, and more
Practice professional post-processing techniques to enhance natural light
Harness the countless creative possibilities that natural light affords
Pages from Natural Light (Click to Learn More)
Case studies to break down dynamic light situations:
Silhouettes over water at sunset
Light beams and multiple light sources
Elusive light and the magic dust cloud
Communicating hardship with harsh light
Accentuating the beauty of everyday life through the color-and-light show of twlight
Everyday scenes with diffused, sculpting light
Dramatic interplay of shadows in a landscape
Atmospheric natural light as the driving force behind the photo
Creating a sense of drama with a reflector and an iPhone
Case Study from Natural Light (Click to Learn More)
“There is no such thing as good or bad light. It is my hope that at this eBook will help you see different types of natural light as different tools, each appropriate in some way for various situations, depending on what you aim to communicate with each photograph. -Mitchell Kanashkevich”
Launch Discount Ending Soon:
Natural Light is currently 25% off until this Tuesday, May 22. It also carries a 60 day no-questions-asked guarantee, so if you are not satisfied with any part of the book just let them know and they will give you a full refund. Also…as an added bonus if you pick up a copy before midnight on May 22nd you will be automatically entered into a drawing to win $1k in lenses of your choice.
Yahoo can’t catch a break. Within a week of their CEO being thrown out for lying on his résumé, Gizmodo just published an excellent detailed article chronicling Flickr’s turbulent history and continuous decline entitled How Yahoo Killed Flickr. Previously one of the most popular photo sharing services, it is quickly being left behind in the industry.
How Yahoo Killed Flickr (Gizmodo)
I personally hated having to create a Yahoo login in order to then create a Flickr login following the acquisition, Gizmodo chronicles all these decision points:
But moreover, Yahoo needed to leverage this thing that it had just bought. Yahoo wanted to make sure that every one of its registered users could instantly use Flickr without having to register for it separately. It wanted Flickr to work seamlessly with Yahoo Mail. It wanted its services to sing together in harmony, rather than in cacophonous isolation. The first step in that is to create a unified login. That’s great for Yahoo, but it didn’t do anything for Flickr, and it certainly didn’t do anything for Flickr’s (extremely vocal) users.
Marco Boerries was without a doubt one of the most viciously political, and disliked Yahoo! execs and he reigned for 4 years over the Yahoo “Connected Life” team which had universal control over all native mobile experiences within Yahoo. Several Flickr internal attempts to build and ship native mobile experiences (going back to 2006) were squashed relentlessly.
Indeed there are now many photo sharing tools to choose from now. And I feel I must mention that our own free photography social network has been gaining speed quickly in the past year nearly reaching 40,000 active members.
SLR Cameras Placed in Pelican Cases to Film Stunts
1920 x 1080 HD Recording And 24p Frame Rate Enable Gripping Point-Of-View Shots for Theatrical Filmmaking
Canon is proud to announce that its EOS 5D Mark II and 7D Digital SLR cameras have been used on the set of Marvel’s latest movie, “Marvel’s The Avengers,” to capture thrilling point-of-view (POV) action shots that can be seamlessly intercut with footage from the film’s principal 35mm and digital cinematography cameras to heighten the film’s visual impact.
“Marvel’s The Avengers” shows an epic confrontation between nightmarish super villains attacking the Earth and the super-heroic team of Iron Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, and Black Widow. Directed by Joss Whedon, the film is the latest and most extraordinary Marvel Studios Super Hero movie to date.
With intense action and visual effects captured by the Canon cameras, “Marvel’s The Avengers” required close-quarter action work with unrepeatable stunts. “The 5D Mark II and the 7D digital SLR cameras produce excellent, cinema-worthy images. They are great for shooting additional angles that give film editors more options for creating powerfully immersive and kaleidoscopic views of action scenes,” explained the film’s cinematographer, Seamus McGarvey.
On the set of “Marvel’s The Avengers,” McGarvey and his crew used five Canon 5D Mark II cameras and two 7D models. Using multiple cameras limited the need to re-shoot complex action scenes, and the affordability and compact size of the cameras enabled the crew to obtain ample coverage by strategically angling them from various vantage points throughout the set. “The cameras’ small size was a major advantage to us.
We were able to place them in tight locations that were really close to the big stunts, which would be too risky to do with bigger cameras that would require an operator and two assistants,” McGarvey said. He was able to slide one of the Canon cameras into a sewer grating, while placing another under a pile of debris for a key shot of a car hurtling toward the lens, flipping through the air on fire.
“We are thrilled that the EOS 5D Mark II and 7D Digital SLR cameras were called to action on the set of ‘Marvel’s The Avengers.’ We designed these cameras with versatility and flexibility in mind, and their ability to record beautiful 1920 x 1080 HD video, coupled with their compact size, make them an ideal fit for filmmakers looking to capture tight action shots,” stated Yuichi Ishizuka, executive vice president and general manager, Imaging Technologies and Communications Group, Canon U.S.A.
One of the scenes where these cameras were used:
Compact, lightweight, and compatible with Canon’s wide selection of EF Series lenses, the Canon 5D Mark II and EOS 7D digital SLR cameras are equipped with large Canon CMOS sensors and Canon DIGIC 4 image processors that enable them to record exceptional full 1920 x 1080 HD video at the user-selectable frame rate of 24p (23.976 fps), which is the standard for today’s high-end filmmaking. Additionally, the cameras’ low-light capabilities were of major importance on the set of “Marvel’s the Avengers,” as many of the film’s scenes were shot at night.
On Sale Until May 18 – One of the most popular digital photography training eBooks is currently 20% off for the next few days here: Trick Photography & Special Effects 2.0
The recent second edition includes 100 new e-book pages (300 pages total) and 9 full hours of video tutorials. The eBook is in PDF format so it is perfect for tablet devices or can be read on any computer.Of the many techniques explained in the book, here are a few samples:
Levitation Tutorial Example from Trick Photography & Special Effects
Extensive Chapters on How to do Non-Traditional Panoramic Photography
HDR Photography Tutorials and Style Strategies
Light Painting and Long Exposure Photo Techniques
Capturing Split Second High Speed Splashes
High Speed Photography Tutorials
How to Achieve Bokeh in Photography
Many Chapters on Composite Photography and Combining Photo Elements
Various Techniques for Capturing Smooth Water Motion
Photography Tricks for Dynamic Floating Subjects Such as Fruit
Tutorials on Creative Night Photography Methods
Tutorials and Chapters on Infrared Digital Photography
Articles on How to Capture Portraits at Long Exposures
How to do Steel Wool Light Painting Photography and More With Long Exposures
How to Get a Copy:
Sale Ends May 18 – the second edition includes 100 new e-book pages (300 pages total) and 9 full hours of video tutorials which can be found here: Trick Photography & Special Effects 2.0
The offer is back for a free 8×10 canvas print. This promotion is focused around mother’s day, but any photo can be printed (it doesn’t necessarily have to be a Mother’s day gift). They are offering one free print per user as a way to introduce more people to their service. This deal expires May 13, it can be found here: Free Canvas Print
Free Canvas Print
I was curious how one of my landscape photos would appear on canvas so I went ahead and ordered an 8×10. It turns out you do have to pay for shipping which I sort of expected, but it was only $14.95 to be shipped to California, still much cheaper than any other lab I found. They ship their canvases with FedEx and USPS. If you have ever wanted to try printing one of your favorite photos on canvas, this is a very good opportunity. Their ordering process is very simple and straightforward:
How it works:
Choose Your Photo
Choose Your Size
Choose a Frame (optional)
Choose an Effect (optional)
They Send you the Completed Canvas Print
Canvas Print 3-Step Ordering Process
What is a Canvas Print?
A quality canvas print will deliver a matte-paper like contrast and color, but since there’s no glass over the print to reduce contrast and saturation, the colors remain much more vibrant when viewed from a distance. Many photographers print exclusively on canvas because they like the artistic nature of it. All of their prints are gallery wrapped. This means that the canvas wraps around the side of the image and is secured to the back of a frame. The image wraps around the sides to make a lovely presentation.
This offer expires on May 13, it can be found here: Free Canvas Print
PictureCorrect now offers many free subscription options so you can stay updated and receive our photography tips articles. Make sure you don’t miss anything important:
SAN JOSE, Calif. — April 23, 2012 — Adobe today announced Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CS6 Extended software, major releases of the undisputed standard for professional digital imaging. B&H is the first to have them available for pre-order here:
Packed with new features and enhancements, the software includes groundbreaking innovations and unparalleled performance breakthroughs that expand the frontiers of imaging science, and deliver new levels of creativity and increased efficiency.
The wait is over: Adobe Photoshop CS6
Photoshop CS6 Extended integrates the state-of-the-art editing, compositing, and graphic design capabilities of Photoshop CS6, as well as advanced tools for 3D design*, image and video editing, and quantitative analysis which address the unique needs of the graphic design, video, Web, architecture, medical, manufacturing and engineering industries.
“Creativity is at the very center of our efforts – both in developing exceptional tools, and enabling our users to create beautiful imagery that stands out from the visual clutter around us,” said Winston Hendrickson, vice president products, Creative Media Solutions, Adobe. “Photoshop CS6 is unrivaled in capabilities and power and – as we have seen from the astonishing reception of our recent public beta – has once again captured the imagination of the worldwide creative community. ‘Photoshop magic’ is alive and well with CS6.”
Since Photoshop CS6 was released as a public beta on March 22 for Mac OS and Microsoft Windows platforms, there have been nearly one million downloads of the software worldwide – surpassing any public beta in Adobe’s history. With this launch, Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CS6 Extended can be purchased as stand-alone applications, key components of the Adobe Creative Suite 6 family, and now as part of Adobe’s revolutionary Creative Cloud offering, also announced today.
Create with Imaging Innovation and Peak Performance
Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CS6 Extended deliver unparalleled speed and power combined with the creative tools necessary to perform advanced image manipulation, design, motion‐based content editing, and compositing. The software helps users to patch images with control for exceptional results; edit with real-time interactions and a fluid feel powered by the new Mercury Graphics Engine; easily edit video; perform automatic tone mapping and sharpening; and use improved design tools for better results with fewer steps. Creative customers will be able to take advantage of an efficient, modern UI that puts all focus on images, and sync settings and preferences for consistent workflows across multiple devices via Adobe Creative Cloud.
“Adobe Photoshop CS6 gives Trek powerful design tools to help bring our creative vision to a reality faster and with greater control than ever before. The responsiveness of the new Mercury Graphics Engine is simply breathtaking and being able to see the results instantaneously helps us keep to our extremely tight timelines,” said Eric Lynn, creative director, Trek Bicycle. “We often work with large files that include more than 500 layers and being able to search them all – and continue working while saving a large document – is invaluable to our workflow and a huge time saver for us.”
Photoshop CS6 features include:
Content-Aware Patch – Allows greater control by letting users choose the sample area used to create a patch.
Adobe Mercury Graphics Engine – Takes advantage of the graphics processing unit in modern hardware to speed up imaging and editing tasks, and process large images faster.
New and Re-engineered Design Tools – Type styles enable consistent formatting; vector layers apply strokes and add gradients to vector objects; custom strokes and dashed lines are easily created; quick layers search and more.
Intuitive Video Creation – The full range of familiar Photoshop tools and an intuitive set of new video tools to create and enhance any video clip.
Blur Gallery – A simple new interface with on-image and in-context controls allows users to quickly create photographic blur effects including tilt-shift effects, blur everything with one focal point, or vary the blurriness between multiple focal points.
Photoshop CS6 Extended includes all Photoshop CS6 features and:
Mercury Graphics Engine for 3D – Increased power and speed via engine optimized for 3D imaging.
New 3D Controls – UI improvements for more efficient 3D workflows.
New 3D Effects – Reflections and “drag-able” shadows to enhance images.
Adobe Creative Cloud and Digital Imaging
Adobe Creative Cloud gives creative customers a new option for purchasing and experiencing Adobe software innovation, including Adobe Photoshop CS6:
Creative Cloud membership provides designers with access to download and install every new Adobe CS6 application announced today and two new HTML5 products, Adobe Muse™ and Adobe Edge preview.
Creative Cloud powers the integration of creative tablet applications, such as Photoshop Touch, into everyday work – seamlessly synchronizing and storing files in the cloud, for sharing and access on any device.
Creative Cloud members will be able to easily deliver mobile apps to iOS and Android marketplaces and publish, manage and host websites.
Adobe Creative Cloud members will receive access to application upgrades, including new Photoshop features – before they are launched as part of a major update, as well as inventive new products and services, as they emerge. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 will be offered as part of Creative Cloud membership in the future.
Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop CS6, Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended, Adobe Creative Suite 6 editions and Adobe Creative Cloud are scheduled to be available within 30 days and can be pre-ordered now. Photoshop CS6 and Photoshop CS6 Extended will also be available through Adobe Authorized Resellers, the Adobe Store and Adobe Direct Sales; estimated street price for Photoshop CS6 is US$699 and US$999 for Photoshop CS6 Extended. Upgrade pricing is also available to eligible customers. Subscription pricing for Photoshop CS6 Extended is US$19.99 per month for an annual contract and US$29.99 for a month-to-month contract. B&H is the first to have them available for pre-order here:
Wedding Photography Business eBook (Click to Learn More)
Being a successful wedding photographer often requires more than just excellent photography skill. Business and networking techniques go a long way in this industry.
Lara and Geoff White (widely published wedding photographers) have been running a thriving photography studio in the Bay Area with the philosophy that their efforts are 80% business and 20% photography. They are now expanding into publishing and their first eBook is this in-depth playbook on techniques to grow a wedding photography business.
You may have a great eye, incredible natural talent, and fantastic equipment. But if you don’t earn more than you spend and know how to develop a steady stream of clients or referrals, you won’t be in business for long. Sometimes even the best photographers struggle to make ends meet because they are overwhelmed by the never ending queue of wedding albums to be designed, photo editing that needs to get done, and emails that must be replied to. This new eBook will guide you through the process of developing a strong base of referrals so a consistent scalable business can be built:
Topics Covered (161 Pages):
Introduction
Chapter 1: Sales, Marketing, and Business Development
Chapter 2: Why Build Vendor Relationships?
Chapter 3: Timeline for Building Relationships
Chapter 4: Networking (Where to network, how to network)
Chapter 5: Weddings Are a Team Sport Examples of Teamwork
Chapter 6: Relationship-Building Techniques for Vendors You Work With
Chapter 7: Photographing for Vendors
Chapter 8: Strategies for Developing Partnerships
Chapter 9: Getting on the Referral List
Chapter 10: Partnerships: Relationship Building for Your Top 20
New eBook: How to Grow a Wedding Photo Business (Click to Learn More)
Chapter 11: Sample Albums
Chapter 12: Staying Organized
Chapter 13: Getting Published and Relationship Building
Chapter 14: Peers and Case Studies for More Relationship Building
Final Thoughts
“If you follow the strategies in this book, you will have built relationships with many professionals across disciplines. All of our best weddings come from referrals. This has been one of the most important elements to our success, and I hope that by sharing it with you, you will also experience success in your adventures. Enjoy your journey, and remember, it’s a process.”
50% Launch Discount Until End of Month:
Until the end of the month, use the discount code picturecorrect to receive 50% off this new eBook. It also carries a rare 180 day risk free guarantee. If you aren’t 100% happy with the book just let them know within 6 months and they will refund your money in full. This discount expires at 11:59pm (PST) April 30, 2012.
The 2012 Pulitzer prize winners for photography were announced today and are truly heartbreaking. Both of the honored photographs document the unbearable trauma of war. Massoud Hossaini of Agence France-Presse won the award for Breaking News Photography with this photo captured moments after a suicide bomber detonated a bomb in a crowd at the Abul Fazel Shrine in Kabul on December 06, 2011. Tarana Akbari, age 12, stands amid the chaos screaming in fear:
Heartbreaking Pulitzer Prize Winner for Breaking News Photography (Pulitzer.org)
Out of 17 women and children from her family who went to a riverside shrine in Kabul that day to mark the Shiite holy day of Ashura, seven died including her seven-year-old brother Shoaib. More than 70 people lost their lives in all.
Craig F. Walker of The Denver Post won the Feature Photography award for his work on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression in today’s community of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans:
Veteran Scott Ostrom lays on the floor with his dog, Jibby, who he credits with saving his life. (Pulitzer.org)
“I’m tired of having bad f—— dreams. I can’t take a nap because I’ll feel worse. I fall asleep, but it doesn’t make it better. Everybody says, ‘With time, with time it will all go away.’ So I’m waiting. He often credited his dog with saving his life. ‘For me Jibby is very therapeutic. … Sometimes I feel like a burden when I unload my emotions on friends, but Jibby’s always there, regardless of what mood I’m in.” -Scott Ostrom
A new training eBook was released today entitled: DSLR The Basics. Professional photographer Ed Verosky created it to help beginners learn how to use their camera effectively. Many new DSLR owners are afraid to switch out of automatic mode and are at a disadvantage in certain lighting conditions. The information in this eBook can help you become more confident in variable lighting conditions and more. The special release price of this book is $9.95 found here.
New Training eBook: DSLR The Basics
At 77 pages it covers camera components, Raw vs JPEG concepts, ISO, Aperture, Shutter Speed, Exposure, White Balance, Shooting Modes, Metering, Drive, Focusing Modes, Using Flash, Evaluating Exposure and more. Each chapter has an exercise and review questions to help readers retain the information.
The aesthetics of the book are very simple, but it has valuable training information, and is priced very competitively compared to similar level training eBooks. Here is a comparison of eBooks for beginners with similar information, if you are a beginner wishing to learn more about your camera, check them out and see which one suits you best:
DSLR The Basics – mentioned here with a release price of $9.95
