Nostalgic for the Polaroid look? Wishing for the ability to make snapshots look like Polaroids? There's a fast, easy-to use solution. All it involves is an upload, a brief wait, and a download. Check out http://www.rollip.com/ which takes you to a site by Rollip. Click the website to start; this takes you to a page of original images and Polaroid "look" variations that take you back to the days of slight color mismatch, over and under development; atmospheric effects and the … [Read more...]
Lighting On A Budget – Pt. 2
September 22, 2009 By 1 Comment
My 6-light CFL fixture worked well in the studio, but I wanted more light and the option to add a light modifier. I decided to move up to 3” PVC and install eight lamp sockets around the outside of the pipe. We're going to call this fixture a SPIDER, you'll see why in just a moment. Here is my original collection of parts. A 3” clean-out plug serves as a hub for the sockets. My original idea was to attach the clean out plug to a 3” bushing … [Read more...]
Lighting On A Budget (Pt. 1)
September 14, 2009 By 7 Comments
A few months ago, my boss told me that we are expanding my department (me) into the world of video production. I was given complete freedom in choosing the camera, computer, and lighting. Like any good photographer, I spent the entire budget on the camera and computer. Whoops! I initially thought that I could use 500W work lights with diffusers, but two problems arose. One- the color temperature of the work light bulbs is very warm and it changes with … [Read more...]
Photoshop Plugin: Akvis Sketch v9.0
August 31, 2009 By 3 Comments
Ever wanted to turn a photograph into a drawing without spending an hour in Adobe Photoshop using layers and high pass filtering to finally separate out a line drawing of that photograph? It's possible with a plug-in from Akvis Software. The last time I looked they had some thirteen sofware applications for Macintosh and PC computers. Running either as stand-alone software applications or as plug-ins for image editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop … [Read more...]
Photoshop Plugin: Topaz Simplify
August 24, 2009 By 3 Comments
During the last month I took a trip back to Topaz Lab's webpage and downloaded another of their interesting programs. (Topazlabs.com) If you remember, they make imaging enhancement software for both still and video photography. This time I thought I'd try their Simplify 2; it's a $39.95 program that can be downloaded in minutes—there's a fully functional 30 day trial version also. All you have to do is request the 30 day key and you can play with any of their … [Read more...]
Offset mounting bracket for Nikon P90
August 14, 2009 By 1 Comment
So I love my new Nikon P90, but I don't love the fact that the battery and memory card are behind an ill designed battery/card door on the bottom of the camera. Which has a hinge so close to the mounting point that you cannot open the door to get to your memory card and battery while the P90 is on the tripod. This fact never bubbled to the surface in researching the new camera before purchase, but I thought, well, I'll just live with it and download the pics over the usb … [Read more...]
Analog to Digital Part 2: Interview with Craig Strong, Inventor of the Lensbaby
June 22, 2009 By 2 Comments
In the beginning, there was light, and we captured it with film. Next came digital cameras, and then came the Lensbaby. Created by professional photographer Craig Strong, the Lensbaby has had an impact on photographers, and their ideas and images. Craig is a photographer turned inventor... his love for photography started at an early age, and after college he went pro, working as a photojournalist. He also had a steady business shooting weddings and portraits. I recently had a chance to … [Read more...]
Profile: Bill Baker, Photographer
June 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I am Here- An Austin Photographic Retrospective This summer Austin features one of its own in a solo photographic exhibit of the current body of work of Bill Baker. The Smokin from Shootin Studio emerged onto the SoCo scene within the past year and represents an iconic series of progressive Austin images in digital. From classic urban architecture and figurative study to natural scenery, Bill Baker's work represents a world where futuristic hope springs out of the wreckage of … [Read more...]
Analog to Digital: Exclusive Interview with Photographer Craig Strong, Inventor of the Lensbaby
June 15, 2009 By 9 Comments
In the beginning, there was light, and we captured it with film. Next came digital cameras, and then came the Lensbaby. Created by professional photographer Craig Strong, the Lensbaby has had an impact on photographers, and their ideas and images. Craig is a photographer turned inventor... his love for photography started at an early age, and after college he went pro, working as a photojournalist. He also had a steady business shooting weddings and portraits. I recently had a chance to … [Read more...]
Profile: James Philip Pegg – Artist
June 10, 2009 By 1 Comment
::: Artist Name::: James Philip Pegg ::: Media::: Illustrator, painting, art photography. ::: Website::: http://philpegg.multiply.com/ http://gallery.passion4art.com/members/artnacogdoches/homepage.html ::: 1 ::: When did you first realize you were an artist? Did you draw as a kid? Color outside the lines? Being the son of an artist, I had my drawing table next to my dad's. I think that I was four years old then. Later, on at my tenth birthday, I was given my first camera … [Read more...]
Topaz Labs DeNoise: Another Winning Photoshop Plugin
June 1, 2009 By 3 Comments
UPDATE: Dr. Roach reviews the latest release of DeNoise here A few weeks back I wrote about TopazLabs application TopazAdjust3, and I liked it so well that it obviously influenced me to take a look at its sister (brother?) application DeNoise. Topaz Labs makes applications for both still and video imaging, and it is the digital still imaging area that have my interest because Photoshop from Adobe is the center of my workflow and I like things that plug-in to Photoshop. … [Read more...]
Photoshop Plugin: Topaz Adjust
May 4, 2009 By 12 Comments
I don't know how many hours I have put in writing actions to allow me to produce some of the currently popular photoshop effects; really more than I want to admit. By the time I've worked my way through reading tutorials, performing the action(s), refining the effect(s), redoing the action(s) and getting client feedback, I have quite a bit of time committed to some projects. Not that I don't think some of the techniques aren't pretty cool and I admire the developers of the concepts; some are … [Read more...]
