Equal in width? Keep reading to find out. . .
OK, actually, what behavioral economist Dan Ariely asks is, “Are we in control of our own decisions?” Or at least that’s the name of his fantastic, provocative TED talk. Definitely check it out.
If you’re not hooked by Ariely’s graphic, photographer-friendly example of irrational thinking that you will encounter after two minutes, the rest of the 17 minute talk are not for you. But I think you’ll Continue reading “Dan Ariely Asks, “Are We In Control of Our Vision?”
Tags: Are we in control of our own decisions?, Dan Ariely, Dan Ariely asks, Inspiration, Seeing, TED Talks, The Sociology of Photogrphy, Vision
The title of one of Scott Kelby’s most recent books can be misleading. “Photoshop CS4: Down & Dirty Tricks” suggests to me, well, “down and dirty tricks,” which aren’t something that I am particularly interested in learning. However, with this title, Kelby, the well-known “#1 best-selling Photoshop author,” has turned out another great one.
To help you better appraise Kelby’s “Down & Dirty Tricks,” let me suggest a new name for the book:
“Scott Kelby’s Impressive Scope of In-Depth Photoshop CS4 Projects with Continue reading “Kelby’s CS4 “Tricks” Are Closer to Magic”
Tags: Book Learning Resources, Book Review, CS4, Learning Resources, Photoshop CS4, Photoshop CS4: Down & Dirty Tricks, Postproduction Techniques, Scott Kelby
Patrick Farrell, a photojournalist for “The Miami Herald,” recently won a Pulitzer Prize in the category breaking news photography. As the prize citation explains, this was for “his provocative, impeccably composed images of despair after Hurricane Ike and other lethal storms caused a humanitarian disaster in Haiti.”
“A People in Despair: Haiti’s year without mercy” is a multimedia piece produced by the “Miami Herald” and hosted on their site. It combines Farrell’s incredible black-and-white images with his personal, moving voice-over. It is just over two minutes in length. In this brief time, it is impossible Continue reading “Pulitzer Prize-Winner Brings Us Despair and Motivation”
Tags: A People in Despair: Haiti's year without mercy, Conscientious Photography, Documentary Photography, Inspiration, Multimedia, Patrick Farrell, Photojournalism, Pulitzer Prize, Slideshows, The Miami Herald
Actually, Jeffrey’s Friedl’s blog article called “Digital-Image Color Spaces” intelligently addresses a heck of a lot more about color spaces than just how your browser is handling the color of the images it displays. However, the monitor insight (complete with interactive learning examples) is particularly valuable – even for those with high color space IQs.
As far as I can tell, best color space practices in relation to monitors (e.g. all Web content!) is probably one of the least understood aspects of color management. (I’m still a bit confused.) And arguably, it is the most important aspects of color management to understand. After all, except for the handful of photographers on the planet who don’t know what a computer is, the Web is the single most common media in which their work will be viewed – including critical proof and gallery evaluations by clients and samples for intended clients. Given this, we want to be on top of color issues in relation to monitors. Continue reading “How Colormetrically Advanced Is Your Browser?”
Tags: Color Management, Color Spaces, Colormetrics, Digital-Image Color Spaces, Jeffrey’s Friedl, Online Learning Resources, Victoria Bampton, Web Browswers
“Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it.” This comes from “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield, and appeared in this blog posting by a New York holistic psychotherapist named Peter Loffredo, whose clients tend to be creative professionals. It was brought to my attention my friend and creative professional named Meghan Scibona, who found it worth sharing.
“To labor in the arts for any reason other than love is prostitution,” is another line from Pressfield highlighted by Loffredo. It’s a good one, though my sense is that these quotes lack the impact that Pressfield’s book might have as a whole if I were to read it. Although I also sense that the book could just be irritating. But I’m not going to judge a creatve professional’s work that I haven’t even read. I’m posting to pose a question: Continue reading “Creative Work Is Not A Selfish Act”
Tags: Meghan Scibona, Peter Loffredo, Steven Pressfield, Sun Tzu, The Business of Creativity, The War of Art
“Paris, France – May 14, 2009 – DxO Labs announces today the publication of detailed RAW-based image quality data and DxOMark Sensor rankings on its popular www.dxomark.com website for two additional medium-format cameras, the Phase One P65+ and the Hasselblad H3DII 50.”
This is from a press release released today by DxO Labs, the French software developer that has put non-biased raw sensor data directly into the hands of us “regular ole photographers” (my language, not theirs). The press release is not that exciting, but the site is really cool site, and using it is free. No need to even sign in. (Phew.) Continue reading “DxO Strikes Again. More RAW Sensor Data!”
Tags: Camera Rating, DxO Labs, DxOMark Sensor, Learning Resources, Online Learning Resources, RAW Quality, Sensor Quality, Sensor Size, www.dxomark.com
Last week I received email newsletters from five different photographers. Although I hadn’t signed up for any one of them, I certainly didn’t mind receiving them. All of these emails got me to thinking about how marketing-savvy photographers have turned the often-annoying email “blasts” of old into fantastic, fresh marketing devices of today.
Two reasons I didn’t mind receiving the email newsletters: Continue reading “Power Marketing with Awesome E-Mail Newsletters”
Tags: Alison M. Jones, Daniel J. Cox, Marketing Strategies, Newsletters, Promotional Strategies
“I hate the word ‘freelance,’” Scott Mc Kiernan told me recently. A photojournalist and CEO of ZUMA Press, Mc Kiernan likened the “free” in “freelance” to a “four-letter word” and suggested that putting “freelance” before “photographer” might not be in a photographer’s best interests. Mc Kiernan said:
“I’ve always been against the word ‘freelance.’ I would prefer to be a stinger, so that someone would be using my services frequently, like a plumber.” Continue reading ““Freelance” is a Four-Letter Word”
Tags: Feelance, Marketing Strategies, Promotional Strategies, Scott Mc Kiernan, ZUMA Press
If the color of your images looks off in Lightroom but not in other programs, the likely problem is a corrupted monitor profile. The easiest way to check this is to make sure the histogram of a grayscale image looks gray.
This useful tidbit comes from Victoria Bampton, in her highly useful problem solving book: “Adobe Lightroom 2: The Missing FAQ.” As Bampton explains: Continue reading “Simple Monitor Profile Diagnostic for Lightroom”
Tags: Adobe Lightroom 2: The Missing FAQ, Color Management, Grayscale, Monitor Calibration, Monitor Profile, Monitor Profiling, Victoria Bampton
Regardless of political orientation, everyone seemed to be pretty perturbed last week when the White House shelled out $300,000-plus to fly Air Force One over New York City to take a publicity shot, not only spending money needlessly but also scaring the pants off the locals.
Photoshop master Scott Kelby took action (Photoshop action, that is) by writing the White House via his blog, “Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Insider.” Check out his April 30th post here. Continue reading “Scott Kelby Writes the White House”
Tags: Blogs, Humor, NAPP, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, Postproduction, Retouching, Scott Kelby
