May 20 2010

Easy Web Production Solutions from Mark S. Luckie

Category: Resources, Technology InsightsEthan G. Salwen @ 3:44 pm

AfterCapture Blog_100520_Web Production_1“Web Production” might not be your cup of tea (and the term might even make you cringe), but every day sees a further blurring in the line between contact creation (e.g. photographs) and how this content is published in the digital world (e.g. posting photographs, a.k.a. web production). In a 10,000 Words post, Mark S. Luckie offers a quick, useful Q&A on web production that you’ll likely find interesting.

As Luckie writes in “Easy solutions to web production’s most common problems”:

“In my role as multimedia producer for California Watch and in other newsrooms where I’ve worked, I am frequently approached by reporters to help them with web-related issues. Often it’s how to post content on the web, how to edit something. . .”

Luckie goes on to very briefly answer a number of critical questions, pointing to a lot of cool online resources.

Sure, you might be a Photoshop wiz, but maybe you’re on the road and just need a simple, online solution to resizing an image. That’s when it would be good to know about the “free online tool Resizr“?

Other, non-photo-specific answers by Luckie will likely prove even more valuable and, just as important, keep your mind open to the increasing options in (easy) web production.


Tags: , , , , , , , , ,


Mar 08 2010

Black Star Rising: An Amazing (Not-Just-PJ) Photo Resource

Category: Resources, The IndustryEthan G. Salwen @ 1:30 pm

AfterCapture_Blog_100308_BlackStarRising_1Sure, you know that “Black Star” equates to photojournalism, but did you know that Black Star hosts a Web Site stuffed full of truly valuable information for working photographers of all manner?

Well, I didn’t, and it’s my job to know. But (not that I should look for excuses!), perhaps my oversight of “Back Star Rising” (the Web site resource in question) came from the fact that photojournalists often seem so “out there” from what the rest of photographers are doing.

In any case, you don’t need this post to find the value in “Black Star Rising.” Just head on over there and take a gander.

If I’m assuming to much about your knowledge of Black Star, let me share a bit of the agency’s history, as explained by the site:

“The list of those who in the early years signed a contract with Black Star reads like a Who’s Who of photojournalism in the following decades: Walter Bosshard, Robert Capa, Ralph Crane, Herbert Gehr, Fritz Goro, Andreas Feininger, Ernst Haas and Philippe Halsmann, to name but a few.”

“According to photo historian Marianne Fulton, Life brought Black Star 30 to 40 per cent of its business. Black Star, in turn, contributed to Life becoming the most popular magazine in America for nearly three decades, with tens of millions of readers.”

You can see why I equated Black Star to photojournalism. And you will certainly see why Black Star Rising rises far beyond the needs of photojournalists alone. Here are a few recent blog posts:

“Writing Your Photography Marketing Plan: Setting Goals.” By Matthew Kauffmann.

“Get Trippy with Black-Light Photography.” By Jeff Wignall.

“Eye on Image-Making: Sales Is Not a Four-Letter Word.” By David Weintraub.

This is good stuff!

AfterCapture_Blog_100308_BlackStarRising_2Regular categories include: Advice for Clients, Art of Photography, Business of Photography, Photography Law, Photojournalism, Stock Photography, Teaching Photography, Video and Multimedia, Video Blog Posts.

This is good stuff!

Did Black Star Get a Rise Out of You?

Presuming your not a photojournalist and also presuming that you ran to check out “Black Star Rising,” let me know what you think. Do you like the site? How does it relate to your specialty?

Tags: , , , , , , ,


Jan 12 2010

Learn Stock Photography Strategies from Jack Hollingsworth

Category: Business Strategies, ResourcesEthan G. Salwen @ 1:33 pm

Today, Jack Hollingsworth posted a Twitter poll asking, How many of you Photographers have a physical portfolio (besides your website/blogsite)?” It’s a good question, and it motivated me to check out Hollingsworth’s Web site. There I found a work-in-progress featuring just two videos:

“See The World” is a snappy portfolio piece featuring gobs of Hollingsworth’s images that zip by with quick pans and lively music. You won’t really see “the world,” but you will certainly a great example of how a large body of work (a photographer’s overall style) can be presented quickly.

See The World from jackhollingsworth on Vimeo.

• In “Coming Soon” Hollingsworth speaks directly to us to explain what’s going on with his site. He shares that he is currently building a totally new site that will be part-free and part-subscription based. The four topics he will focus on are stock photography, lifestyle photography, Continue reading “Learn Stock Photography Strategies from Jack Hollingsworth”

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,



Dec 29 2009

The Most Essential Web Site for Professional Photographers

Category: ResourcesEthan G. Salwen @ 10:32 am

ACOF_091229_Top 1_1Actually, Jeana Lee Tahnk lists five essential Web sites for pro photographers in her post yesterday on “Mashable.” It’s a thoughtful list, covering lots of critical ground. The limit of five sites is a nice touch, forcing her to zero in and get rid of all the clutter that comes from a list of 20 or 100, or even 10.

Ms. Tahnk gives us:

1. LiveBooks. (Web site creation.)

2. ShootQ. (Web-based studio management solution.)

3. Animoto. (Auotomated video creation.)

4. LicenseStream. (Image license creation and tracking.)

5. LabPrints. (Linking pros photographers to pro labs.)

The thing is, while some photographers might rely on all these sites, other pros will have no need a single one. After all, we all have very different needs, even when we share the same exact specialty. This is the conundrum of recommending Web site resources for photographers. It also brings me to the question that is the purpose of this post:

Survey Asks. . .

What is the single, most essential Web site for your professional photography?

Sure, I know. You can’t limit it to one. It’s like picking your favorite movie or book. So just share a site that would definitely, definitely be on your Top Ten list.

Anything goes! The site can be one you highly recommend to others, or one that only relates to your unique needs. I’m definitely curious, and looking forward to exploring great photography sites I’m overlooking.

Be sure to let us all know what your photographic specialty is and exactly why this site is so valuable to you.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Dec 09 2009

Got a Burning Photo Question? Ask the Net

Category: ResourcesEthan G. Salwen @ 7:13 am

ACOF_091209_1_varkcomAccording to tech guru David Pogue — and this is one tech guru I really trust — Vark.com just might offer professional photographers the single best way to answer any niggling image making question, fast and with authority. Topic questions answered include anything related to on location issues, in camera issues, during postproduction issues, with client issues, in your kitchen curiosities, with your car problems. . .

Okay, I know. Kitchen curiosities and car problems are not necessarily related to “image making,” but Vark.com is a service that hooks you up directly with an expert in any field imaginable. That expert then answers your query with an answer just for you — not as with the blanket ask/response services provided by answers.yahoo.com or answerbag.com.

As Pogue explains:

Last week, I stumbled upon a new, better way to harness the Net for answers: Vark.com. You send your question to Aardvark (the full name of the service) using a chat program like Continue reading “Got a Burning Photo Question? Ask the Net”

Tags: , , , , , , , ,


Dec 03 2009

dpBestflow.org: An Amazing, New Digital Imaging Resource

Category: Photoshop, Resources, Technology Insights, The Industry, WorkflowEthan G. Salwen @ 3:43 pm

ACOF_091203_1_bestflowThere is a new digital imaging online reference and educational resource of which all photographers should be aware. Launched on November 11, dpBestflow.org aims to be the single most authorative site for digital imaging best practices and workflow strategies, and even if “the best” is subjective, the immense value of this site can’t be denied.

Free to all — with no log on required — dbBestflow.org was created by photographers for photographers, and was made possible with major financial backing from the Library of Congress.

Developed with the clear vision and leadership of Richard Anderson, photographer and digital standards expert, dpBestflow.org is presented in a clean, intelligent design that is intuitive to navigate. However, it takes some exploration to Continue reading “dpBestflow.org: An Amazing, New Digital Imaging Resource”

Tags: , , , , ,


Nov 20 2009

How To Expand Your Business With Video

Category: Business Strategies, Creative ProcessEthan G. Salwen @ 1:39 pm

ACOF_091120_1Well, that’s a good question, and one with no easy answers — or, at least, answers that are likely to overwhelm some photographers while underwhelming others. How do still photographers go about video with a mind on business success?

Gail Mooney offers some thoughtful and encouraging answers the most recent article for “Insight,” the online newsletter of Adbase. In her article, “How to Expand Your Business with Video,” Mooney touches on her own history in photo/video,  offers up some important (and common) pitfalls to avoid and touches on the importance of collaboration. Most important, however, is Continue reading “How To Expand Your Business With Video”

Tags: , , , , , , ,


Nov 01 2009

Amazing DNG Recovers Edges

Category: Resources, Technology InsightsEthan G. Salwen @ 2:29 pm

AC_Blog_DNGRecoverEdges“You may not realize it, but your digital camera doesn’t give you every pixel that it records.” This from the “DNG Recover Edges” article found at “The Luminous Landscape.” The article goes on to explain why this is, and why you might want to get these pixels back, as well as exactly how to do so.

The last part is the nifty part. To recover hidden edge pixels, you simply drop a DNG file on the icon for the free “DNG Recover Edges” application, and zap. . . you now have more pixels that you work with in that DNG.

You can get said free “DNG Recover Edges” at Continue reading “Amazing DNG Recovers Edges”

Tags: , , , , , ,


Oct 29 2009

Richard Anderson In Person

Category: AC Articles, Books, Photographers, ResourcesEthan G. Salwen @ 10:43 am
No, this is not Richard Anderson, but it is one of his images.

No, this is not Richard Anderson. But it is one of his images.

Photographer, digital standards expert and photography community activist Richard Anderson is incredibly mild mannered — definitely easy to miss in the massive crowds of PhotoPlus Expo, but definitely worth tracking down to see face-to-face. That’s what I did last Thursday, borrowing a cell phone from Judy Herrmann (Thanks, Judy. My cheap, three-year-old Argentine cell phone is no iPhone), and meeting up with Anderson to shoot the breeze in person, which we hadn’t done in two years.

I talk to Anderson fairly often, as he is always incredibly generous with his time and knowledge, and he provides me information to improve my reporting, and also acts as a sounding board on the issues most important to cover.

As the driving force behind dpBestflow.org, the co-author of Digital Photography Best Practices and Workflow Handbook and the princial author of UPDIG, Anderson knows a heck of lot about all things related to the broad, critical topic of digital best practices — from in-camera exposure to final file hand-off.

The thing is, such a statement makes Anderson sound like Continue reading “Richard Anderson In Person”

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,


Next Page »