DigitalAppleJuice

Apple: C’mon, already… update the MacPro

May 13, 2013 by Britt Stokes Leave a Comment

OK, a general rant on Apple and folks who make their living using Apple computers. I've got a production suite at my photo studio, and another at home. They do the same thing… edit and store images and video. My MacPro at home is from 2006; my MacPro at the studio is from 2009. It has been several years since the line was updated, and the updates were just little housekeeping things like slightly faster processors. Other Mac lines have enjoyed some nifty technology boosts, like Thunderbolt … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Hardware, MacOsX, Workflow Tagged With: apple, mac, mac pro, macpro

Review: Mastering the Nikon D600 by Darrell Young

May 9, 2013 by Britt Stokes 2 Comments

If you follow our website, you may remember that I really liked Darrell's book on the D800. I have now purchased a D600, and read the new Mastering the Nikon D600 with a certain sense of déjà vu. the D600 book is also a real winner! One of the things most people do when they get a new camera is… run out and take photos. Darrell is careful to point out that the first thing you should do is setup the camera to make sure it is going to function they way you want. Chapter 1 covers basic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Gadgets, Photography, Reviews Tagged With: book, darryl young, nikon d800

Review: Mastering the Nikon D800 by Darrell Young

October 22, 2012 by Britt Stokes

Mastering the Nikon D800_ Darrell Young_ Amazon.com_ Kindle Store

Darrell Young has written the definitive book on the Nikon D800. If it isn’t covered in this book, you probably don’t need it. Seriously, this book is a long look inside the digital candy box for Nikon geeks and other photographers who actually (gasp!) read the manual. Unfortunately for me, reading the manual sometimes leaves a little to be desired. Darrell explains what the manual really is trying to say... and even provides the page numbers for the content in the Nikon manual. That’s … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Photography, Reviews Tagged With: nikon d800, Photography, Rocky Nook

Review: Tabletop Photography Using Compact Flashes and Low-Cost Tricks to Create Professional-Looking Studio Shots

September 10, 2012 by Britt Stokes

Cyrill Harnischmacher's new book "Tabletop Photography" is a further sign of the digital revolution in photography... virtually all of the techniques he teaches in this new book are techniques that will only work with digital. I'm not a digital native, but I got here as quick as I could; my experimentation with digital imaging began in the mid-1990's. The flash techniques I learned relied on an antiquated system known as "Polaroid" - using a sheet or pack Polaroid holder on the medium or large … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Photography, Workflow Tagged With: Photography, tabletop

Review: Create Your Own Photo Book by Petra Vogt

July 2, 2012 by Dr. Michael N. Roach

Several times I've thought about making a photo book. Since I've been in numerous countries across the world in the last fifteen years and assembled several terrabytes—well, many more than several—of saved images it seems like I would be a prime candidate to produce more than one photo book. But the moment never seemed to be right, and I couldn't bring myself to do the research into the procedures and techniques of producing a good book. I'd see the ads for companies that made books and even … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Photography, Reviews, Workflow Tagged With: photobook, Rocky Nook

Review: Adobe Photoshop CS6

June 11, 2012 by Dr. Michael N. Roach

Adobe Photoshop CS6 is here. I'd been working with the Beta version of Adobe Photoshop CS6 since it came out as I prepared a tutorial version with which to teach workshops, and I was excited when I received a review copy of Photoshop CS6. I'd prepared a tutorial version of an App for the Apple Store on the CS5 Photoshop and its had a good run and has been well received. I was looking forward to getting a CS6 version ready to coincide with the launch of Photoshop CS6, but I got a little behind … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Photography, Photoshop, Reviews Tagged With: Adaptive Wide Angle, Adobe Photoshop CS6, Background Save, camera Raw, Field Blur, Iris Blur, Tilt-Shift Blur

Review: Cracking Camera Raw by Michael N. Roach

May 14, 2012 by Britt Stokes

Cracking Camera Raw: The Illustrated Guide To Working With Raw Images in Adobe Photoshop CS5by Michael N. Roach I've just read and appreciated this new work by Dr. Roach on Camera RAW. I was an early adopter of RAW files. After seeing what I could do, even with early versions of Photoshop, I was sold. I learned just enough to actually use the basic features, and got good results (mostly) with my methodology. Adobe CS5 is a game-changer. The Creative Suite's fifth version is bullet-proof on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Photoshop, Workflow Tagged With: camera Raw, photoshop

Review: Architectural Photography by Adrian Schulz

April 16, 2012 by Britt Stokes

Rocky Nook's new book Architectural Photography by Adrian Schulz provides a comprehensive update to architectural photography techniques in a digital age. My original introduction to this subject was a book by Norman McGrath called Photographing Buildings Inside and Out. Norman in years past had reservations about calling his craft "architectural photography" - but not Schulz. His 2nd Edition (2012) of his original 2009 printing of Architectural Photography leaves no one in doubt that he has … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Photography, Reviews, Workflow Tagged With: adrian schulz, architecture, Photography

QuickFix: Why does Pages creates HUGE files?

April 15, 2012 by digitalapplejuice

In an effort to accomodate clients who wish to continue editing content, I sometimes export files out of Pages to .doc for their use. And sometimes, the exported file is so huge its unworkable. After dealing with this issue a few times, I have come to the conclusion that drag/dropped jpg images in MSWord get somehow corrupted in the conversion to iWork Pages which tries to fix the issue by creating a .pdf out of the image. It seems to occur regardless what combination of versions of MSWord … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Graphics, Software, Workflow Tagged With: doc, iWORK, jpg, mac, msword, pages, pdf, word

Review: The Art of Photographic Lighting By Eib Eibelshaeuser

December 6, 2011 by Dr. Michael N. Roach

Rocky Nook - The Art of Photogrpahic Lighting

Rocky Nook Press recently sent me a review copy of Eib Eibelshaeuser's new book, The Art of Photographic Lighting. It took me a little longer to write this review than it normally does for two reasons: I kept re-reading paragraphs that seemed particularly significant, and I found myself taking notes. Both of these slowed me down as I am usually a fast reader. I think I was expecting a book with drawings of how to arrange lights, but instead I found that it was much more involved than that. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Photography, Reviews, Workflow Tagged With: color theory, Directional lighting, Eib Eibelshaeuser, Light Theory, Lighting, Lighting Encyclopedia, O'Reilly, Rocky Nook, visual perception

(Review) ASKetch for the iPad

October 24, 2011 by Dr. Michael N. Roach

OK, I'm still playing with my iPad and loving it, and I found another software App that is a lot of fun. ASKetch by Andrew Kern is supposed to work with finger motions and strokes alone, and not be used with a stylus or pen tool. I'll tell you what it is supposed to do (and it does it very well). Let's look at ASKetch as Mr. Kern meant it to be. First, I'll quote: ASKetch is a simple black & white procedural sketching program for drawing with your fingers. It is designed from the ground … [Read more...]

Filed Under: apps, Digital Lifestyles, Gadgets, iOS SDK, iPad, Reviews, Workflow Tagged With: chiaroscuro, drawing, drawing on the ipad, drawing ont eh iphone, ios, ipad, iPhone, iPod touch, Sketch, stylus

Insanely Great: Steve Jobs

October 6, 2011 by digitalapplejuice

[qt:http://digitalapplejuice.com/wp-content/uploads/jobs_475.mov 476 476] "Even the gorgeous royal chariots wear out; and indeed this body too wears out. But the teaching of goodness does not age; and so Goodness makes that known to the good ones." … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Workflow