Dr. Michael Roach’s newest version of Photoshop tutorial is a hit. Roach takes aim at photographers and artists who are ready to take a systematic, measured approach to learning arguably one of the most difficult photo editing programs to master. With this tutorial open on an iPad in view, a user can go through and unlock many of Photoshop’s mysteries. Systematic is a word that best describes Roach. During his tenure of 30+ years teaching photography at an East Texas university, Roach … [Read more...]
Traveling Europe with a 13” Macbook

I just came home from a 24 day trip across France and Spain. My trusty white 13” Intel Macbook has a lot more miles on it… but worked like a champ. My AC adapter for power and charging was 100-240 volt compatible, so I didn’t have to worry about a voltage converter, just a plug adapter for the European style sockets. Wifi is strong on this older Macbook, and I got good performance in most hotels I stayed in. The size of this smaller Macbook is perfect for lugging around on the road – and … [Read more...]
I’m Loving My Magpul iPhone Field Case!

DigitalAppleJuice.com is a great place to talk about all things Apple. And, digital imaging. And how you create artwork in the digital age. And... well, you get the point. So I decided to devote a few paragraphs to a new product I found for the iPhone. I recently ordered some items from a retailer in California. While on their website, a new item caught my eye - a Magpul brand case for my iPhone 3G (they also make a case for the iPhone 4). I was intrigued... Magpul is famous in the … [Read more...]
Ansel Adams: Analog Photography and the Creative Process Revisited

I recently visited the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, to view an exhibit of Ansel Adams works titled Ansel Adams: Eloquent Light. The show ran from May 29 through November 7, 2010. In total, I made four trips to the museum to see this exhibit. Ansel Easton Adams was born in early 1902 to parents Charles and Olive Adams in San Francisco, California. As a boy, his family traveled to Yosemite (which had become a national park in 1890) when he was about 14 years old, an experience which … [Read more...]
Another sunny day in digital paradise

Ah, the wonderful rays of summer sun falling on beatific scenes. The sweet smell of fragrant flowers, the gentle hum of bees busy about their work. The sudden sound of a camera motor whirring to re-cock the shutter. And perhaps the one I like best... the sound of not having to reload my camera with film. Kind of like the sound of one hand clapping, isn’t it? Yep, I like digital. I’m thoroughly entrenched in the world of CMOS and CCD, compact flash and lithium ion batteries. Bigger hard … [Read more...]
Lensbaby Fisheye Optic

A long time ago, in a world that only used film, a lens was developed to see the whole sky. Cloud studies for meteorological use prompted the invention of the fisheye lens. It wasn’t long until the keen eye of the “art” photographer saw one and decided to use it to make images that could not otherwise be made. Fisheye images aren’t like rectilinear images, where straight lines mostly stay straight... fisheye lenses give you a convex rendering with curved straight lines, and encompass a … [Read more...]
Lensbaby New Soft Focus Lens Optic

Want a great lens with the look of a $1,000 Rodenstock Imagon for your digital SLR? Look no further than the newest lens addition to the Lensbaby line. Lensbaby, the brain child of photographer and inventor Craig Strong, brought soft focus and skewed focus planes to cameras that normally produce sharp results. The current generation lenses offer interchangeable elements, and that is where this article comes in. I recently obtained a Lensbaby Soft Focus element, and wow, is it cool! My 3 part … [Read more...]
What Makes a Photographer?

I got an interesting e-mail today... a promotion e-mail from an architectural photographer named Dan Poyourow (www.danpoyourow.com). Dan is based in Maryland, and his work is well worth looking at. At the bottom of his e-mail, he included this tidbit... “Photography thought for the week: Contrary to what some creatives may tell you; shooting digital and reading a book on Adobe Photoshop does not make someone a professional photographer. There is still no substitute for experience, … [Read more...]
Digital Camera Infrared Conversion- Part 2

I recently wrote about my newly converted Nikon D200 body. I have since been on a trip to Acapulco, Mexico, and have shot over 1,500 images with the new body. Here are my impressions so far. First, this conversion by Isaac Szabo uses an excellent filter (the infrared filter replaces the high-pass filter over the sensor inside the camera). The infrared images are wonderful, far better than any I got with my previously converted SLR. There is more color in evident in some of the images. With … [Read more...]
Digital Camera Infrared Conversion

Since the 1930’s, photographers have enjoyed the use of infrared films for both scientific and pictorial use. The infrared spectrum is beyond the ability of the human eye to see, and objects viewed in light from the infrared spectrum often look quite different from visible light. Most living foliage will appear light or white in a final print shot with infrared film, and human skin can be almost translucent, with veins showing through the skin like magic. But with the advent of digital … [Read more...]
Bundles of MacFriendly Joy for a Great Cause

If you hurry and check out www.macfriendly.org, you can get two truly great deals. First, you can treat yourself to twelve Mac applications that are worthy of your icon bar. Second, you will be pleased to know that the funds you paid support the care and feeding of homeless animals. First, the applications. For photo buffs, there are three applications that you’ll enjoy. Calico Panorama helps stitch rows, even multi-rows, of images together with ease. Bracketeer takes your … [Read more...]
Random Musings on Apple’s Migration Assistant
Well, this sums up my recent experience with Apple’s Migration Assistant. I just received my new Snow Leopard, 2 x 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon processor Mac Pro. It came with 8 gig of RAM, and I immediately added four more 2 gig Kingston chips for a total of 16 gig. The memory was recognized after restarting, and there was a new message indicating all the memory was installed correctly. Sweet, Lightroom should love the extra speed and RAM. Upon setting the machine up, I decided to try … [Read more...]









