Photoshop Guys Kelby and Kloskowski Come Through Again for Elements Folks

Posted on by
Reply

I clearly remember teaching my first class on Adobe Photoshop Elements; version 4 was the latest and greatest way back then. I was all set to teach a room full of budding photographers how to improve their photos with the magic that is digital imaging. I thought. Unfortunately I made a major miscalculation. I was so intent on showing my students how to crop, resize, correct and sharpen I completely blew off the organizer as something they could handle on their own. Seems the first thing my students wanted to do was learn how to handle the hundreds of images they were shooting at a fast clip. Downloading and organizing files on their computers was a definite challenge for folks accustomed to sticking prints on album pages. (If “stick” and “album” don’t correlate for you, go ask an old person.)

Fortunately, one of the students in my class (an incredibly smart lady named Tommie) had already gotten the organizer down pat and was able to get me through that first session. The next time the class met, after a mad dash to the bookstore, I came armed with The Photoshop Elements Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby, all tabbed up and highlighted in three different colors. Thanks to his step-by-step instructions I was able to walk my students through the organizer’s tags, dateline and albums (the virtual kind) and on through to the editing workspace. There were so many questions from students that I had just not anticipated. Thankfully, Scott had.

So here we are a few fleeting years later. Adobe continues to update Elements and Scott continues to publish his books right along with them. (Just in case you’re the only photographer on the planet who doesn’t know this, Scott is the number one bestselling author of computer and technology books.) Co-written with Matt Kloskowski, fellow Photoshop guy and an Elements specialist, The Photoshop Elements 10 Book for Digital Photographers (New Riders), has just hit the shelves (and the nice folks from Kelby Media Group Inc. were kind enough to send me one).

This latest edition is, as are all Kelby & Kloskowski books, easy to read, logically organized and beautifully designed. My favorite aspect of this book is that I can find a specific technique, tool or setting in a hurry because the book works as both a how-to guide and as a reference. In other words, when a student asks a question and the answer eludes me I can grab the book, flip to the index, flip to the page and appear to be extremely knowledgeable in no time. Also, just like a good cookbook, each step in the PSE 10 book is illustrated to demonstrate what the photo and/or computer screen should look like at that point in the process.

My students love Scott’s books because they read as if they have been written for them, normal people who want to make their photos look better, not techies who consider The Fundamentals of Physics light reading. For example, most of my students come into my classes very frustrated with their camera manuals which usually define technical terms–if they bother to do it at all–using other technical terms and therefore are not terribly helpful. Scott’s books are the very opposite of that. If a technique needs breaking down, he does it. If a tool needs detailed explanation, you get one. All in every-day language that makes sense and–this is the coolest part–in context. Not in a lecture format but in a this-is-what-you-do-to-get-this-result format.

For instance, many of my students–the ones who having been using the free-download digital imaging software or the one included with their camera–come into class terrified of layers. I guess they consider it “that really complicated procedure Photoshop people do” and they want no part of it. Then they learn how to apply gaussian blur using Scott’s portait finishing technique, after which I tell them they’ve just used layers. They’re amazed. They’re astounded. And some of them are slow to believe me because it was just so easy.

You can read more about The Photoshop Elements 10 Book for Digital Photographers at http://kelbytraining.com/product/the-photoshop-elements-10-book-for-digital-photographers

 

Seeing Spots? It May Be Time to Clean the Camera Sensor

Posted on by
Reply

As a photography instructor I often get asked what to do when spots starting showing up in one’s photos, usually visible in light-colored areas of the picture such as the sky. If these spots can be seen in the same place image after image there’s a good chance it’s sensor dirt. The first thing a photographer can do about the spots is to use the appropriately named spot healing brush tool in Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. If you use Photoshop CS5 or PSE 9 or 10 make sure to choose “content aware” under “type”.  Spot removal is an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy job for this amazing tool (the one that removes a person and fills in the brick wall in the TV ad.) That takes care of the spotty problem in existing images but as easy as spot removal is it can get tiresome and you don’t want to be doing for the remainder of the camera’s life. I’m afraid it’s time to clean the sensor.

This is a corner of the floral abstract image, enlarged so you can see the sensor dirt.

I say “afraid” because many photographers, including this one, are extremely hesitant to even approach their camera’s sensor and with good reason. The sensor, the most expensive and delicate part of your camera, can be easily damaged and once it is there’s no fixing, just replacing. So in explaining how to clean the sensor to a student I tread very carefully. I start by telling them to read what the camera manual says about cleaning the sensor and to follow the directions exactly. In the manual for my camera it tells me how to lock up the mirror (to expose the sensor) and use a blower (without the brush and without inserting the blower into the camera) to blow away the minute dirt and dust from the sensor. Giottos Rocket Air Blaster, which comes in different sizes, is a good one. The mirror comes down when power is shut off so the camera battery must be fully charged before you do this or you can use the camera’s AC adapter if it has one (the way the power goes off in my neck of the woods makes the battery the safer bet). If this does not correct the problem, I recommend the photographer takes the camera to a professional for cleaning. If the camera is still under warranty it should be taken to an authorized repair facility, a list of which can usually be found on the manufacturer’s website. This is good, albeit somewhat conservative, advice. However, I recently discovered that my own advice was not going to work for me on all occasions.

This is how the image looks after being cleaned up.

Usually I have no big problem with sensor dirt. My Canon 1DIII has the automatic camera cleaning that operates every time I turn it on and then again when I turn it off. This has worked amazingly well for three years and I haven’t had to clean the sensor manually once. I also practice preventive measures by turning off the camera and pointing it toward the ground while changing lenses. I’ve even gotten good at switching lenses inside my sling-type camera bag when out in the woods (no, it doesn’t work with my 400mm). But a while back I discovered a veritable rash of spots in my images. As I had been experimenting with an abstract technique that involves changing the focal length of a zoom lens while releasing the shutter–a technique that multiplies dirt spots exponentially–this was a major problem. Not wanting to give up my camera for any length of time to have the sensor cleaned at a far-off repair shop, I consulted an expert’s expert: my shooting buddy and fellow Blue Ridge Mountain Photographers member, Mark.

Mark’s solution to the stubborn dirt problem, after double-checking that the standard methods weren’t going to be enough, was to clean the sensor using swabs specifically made for this purpose and the size of the sensor (Sensor Swabs by Photographic Solution) along with two drops of Eclipse Cleaning System Solution. (These products and the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster can be found at www.amazon.com.) With the camera mounted on a tripod to hold it steady and the mirror locked up, Mark carefully pulled the swab across the sensor, in one direction only. Then he used the other side of the flat swab and pulled it across in the other direction. Unfortunately, the sensor was so dirty it had to be done three times (with a new swab each time) to remove all the dirt and even then Mark found a couple of small, light spots when he checked a test image on the computer. So the process will have to be done again.

All in all, the sensor cleaning experience wasn’t nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Of course, I was just watching, not swabbing. But I think I can handle it myself should there be a next time (which means I won’t have to bug Mark, at least on this topic). And since I’m a wary kind of person I’d like to close with a disclaimer: I am not advising you to clean your own camera’s sensor this way, just sharing my experience. I do suggest checking out expert recommendations on the subject, a ton of which can be found by searching the web, and reading your camera manual before attempting a sensor clean. Here are some links from Mark to get you started:

http://sensorcleaning.com/main.php

http://www.bythom.com/cleaning.htm

htp://www.photosol.com/store/pc/home.asp

http://www.copperhillimages.com/index.php

 

Blog Idea Ripoff Day: My Own Best of 2011 List

Posted on by
4

One of the first stops on my daily tour of the Internet (after Dear Abby) is Scott Kelby’s blog (www.scottkelby.com). It keeps me up on what’s going on in the photography and digital imaging world or at least Scott’s end of it. This morning he posted his “Best of 2011″ list which ranges from “Best Photoshop Plug-in Update” to “Best Burger”. At the end of his post he states a few disclaimers including the following: “If some of my picks make you seething mad, and you want to post mean comments to me, remember—you can start your own blog today, for free, and by this afternoon you can post your own list (don’t worry—everybody will agree with all your picks).”

Well, I’m not mad–seething or otherwise–at any of Scott’s choices, although I am a bit surprised that he actually sat through “A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas”. And I feel no urge to post mean comments to such a likeable guy. However, I do already have my own blog and although my readership is probably .01 percent of Scott’s (God bless every one of you), posting my own list sounds like a good idea (or at least the best idea for a blog I could come up with this nasty, rainy morning). So here it is, my own Best of 2011:

Best HDR Software Game of One-Upmanship: HDR Soft Photomatix and Adobe Photoshop

While Adobe and HDR Soft keep upgrading and updating their HDR software to see who can do it better, all HDR photographers win.

Best Photography Christmas Present: Goodie Bags from Showcase Photo & Video in Atlanta

The always supportive general manager, John Williams, donated extremely cool goodie bags to the Blue Ridge Mountain Photographers. This may not technically count as photography gear but my favorite item was the neat flashlight.

Best New Toy I Gave Myself: Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo filter

It’s a variable neutral density filter! It’s a warming polarizer! It’s Super Filter! (It’s also super expensive but worth it.)

Best Website How-To Book: Get Your Photography on the Web by RC Concepcion

If I can understand it, the writer deserves an award.

Best Non-Photography Book: Van Gogh, The Life by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith

I knew all along Vincent  wouldn’t kill himself.

Best Camera Feature I Finally Started Using: Live View for flowers

If you’re not using live view for focusing on macro shots you’re not as sharp as you could be. (Shoutout to Lynn H.!)

Best New Video: Light It. Shoot It. Retouch It.  By Scott Kelby

For everyone who is intimidated by the thought of setting up studio lighting.

Best New Video Game:  Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7

Just because I like to blow things up with a flick of the wand…er, controller…and show my teenage son I can be cool, sorta.

Best Breakfast for Hungry Photographers: Sausage links and grits from the John C. Campbell Folk School Kitchen Staff

Nothing like a bunch of photographers fresh off a sunrise shoot sitting down family style to a hot breakfast of grits and sausage…unless it’s grits and bacon…or grits and scrambled eggs.

Best Pre-Meeting Meeting Place: Blue Jean’s in Blue Ridge

The beer’s cold, the pizza’s hot and the staff is nice about adding on tables as we straggle in.

Best Field Shoot That Wasn’t in a Field or a Shoot: Trip to Ansel Adams Exhibit at Booth Western Museum in Cartersville, Ga.

‘Nuff said.

 

Feel free to comment with some of your own but keep it clean. And no, you don’t have to agree with me or Scott.

It’s My Blog and I’ll Plug If I Want To: Announcing BRMP’s National Juried Photography Competition

Posted on by
Reply

Lyn Hemrick's 'Teton Sunset' Won 1st in Fine Arts

If you’ve checked out the “About DumasPhotos” page you may have read that I am a member of the Blue Ridge Mountain Photographers. It is a photography assocation that works out of The Art Center in Blue Ridge, Georgia, and is supported by the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association. Each month we have a general meeting with a presentation, a Second Saturday workshop and at least one field shoot.

Our biggest project each year is organizing and presenting the Blue Ridge Mountain Photographers National Juried Nature and Fine Art Photography Exhibit. I am pleased to announce that the entry form for the 2012 show is now available for download online at www.blueridgemountainphotographers.com and www.blueridgearts.net

Last year, more than 150 photographs were selected for display in The Art Center’s  Richard Low Evans Gallery during the month of September. The opening reception for the exhibit drew nearly 300 people. Our judge, Todd Sparger, president of the Georgia Nature Photography Association, was amazed at the quality of the photographs and had a difficult time selecting the winners.

This year, after having two judges in a row from the nature side of photography, the exhibit will be judged by fine art photographer Paul Dunlap, Assistant Professor of Visual Art at North Georgia College & State University. Paul’s current work is a mix of photography and fabric as he composes photographic portraits in patterns inspired by traditional Appalachian quilt patterns. He has shown his work throughout the Southeast and in national media outlets such as CNN. Paul is also a great guy who is looking forward to judging this year’s competition.

The deadline for entry is July 2, 2012. Photographers may submit up to three images for an entry fee of $40 ($35, BRMP members). This year we’ve included an early bird deadline–that’s a hint not to wait until the last minute–of June 1 for an entry fee of $35 ($30, members). Monetary prizes totaling $2,000 will be awarded. The juried show is open to all photographers, both amateur and professional, and all original photographic media, including film and digital images. Check out the links for the complete rules and important dates.

This is an incredibly fun show to put on and I hope you all will join us by entering. If you’d like to see the winners of last year’s competition you can find them at www.facebook.com Search: Blue Ridge Mountain Photographers.

Commonly Asked Photography Questions Answered Here, No Waiting

Posted on by
1
Vector Graphics

One of the reasons I changed my photography website to a blog-oriented format is that it allows me to answer questions–from students, photography association members and the unfortunate people I run across on vacation taking snapshots “incorrectly”–so that more than one photographer at a time gets the answer. It’s not that I don’t like answering questions. I do. In fact, I enjoy talking about photography and digital imaging so much that my repeat students issue a standard warning to newbies, “If you ask Joyce a question be prepared for a 10-minute lecture!” Just call me the Sheldon Cooper of photography instruction (Big Bang Theory reference, for you non-nerds). This often leads to a line forming–after classes, after meetings, but never on vacation–and eventually people walking away with unanswered questions. Some of my photography friends simply go home and email me or get an answer from my shooting buddy Mark who is definitely more succinct and infinitely more knowledgeable.

Once this blog gets a bit of a following–of students, association members and hopefully the occasional vacation snapshooter–I’m hoping readers will post questions as they come up, or really any time, and I’ll reply to the comment at the end of the post. In the meantime, I’ll be blogging about some commonly asked questions from time to time and supplying some relevent information, hopefully, as well as providing resources for additional research. And if that still doesn’t do it, I can always ask Mark.

What is raw and should I be shooting in it? Raw is simply a digital file format that is, as the orange-growers like to say, “unfooled around with”. A raw image is the digital information without processing. A jpeg file, on the other hand, has been processed (changes made in white balance, contrast, saturation) and compressed (pixels squeezed and squashed unmercifully). Although discussing the subject can start an argument faster than you can ask, “Canon or Nikon?”, the decision to capture raw or jpeg files is a personal one. I usually answer this question with a question of my own: “Do you process your own photos?” Using raw files requires a separate step and a camera raw processor that is usually included in the camera’s software if it has raw capability. You can also process raw files using digital imaging software such as  Adobe Photoshop, Elements or Lightroom as well as the online freebie favorite, Picasa (http://picasa.google.com). If you enjoy working with digital files on your computer, using raw files will enhance the detail in your photos, make adjustments more effective and result in visible improvements to your final product. If you take your memory card to Walmart and use the photo kiosk, jpegs will suit you just fine.

Should I upgrade to Adobe Elements 10? If you asked me this question and are currently using Elements 9 I’d answer, “Probably not.” But I was asked this question recently by two former students who are still using Elements 7 and in their cases–and for those using Elements 8–I think the jump to 10 is worth the money. Elements 10 features updates to the organizer, additions to guided edit, enhanced text options, three new crop overlays and new options for the smart brush tool. Also, I’ve seen Elements 10 for sale online for as low as $69 which is lower than previous versions. If you want to check out the new features go to my favorite Elements site, www.photoshopelementsuser.com/tag/elements-10/ .

Should I buy a…? I’m often asked my opinion on a new camera, lens, printer or any other type of photography equipment you can think of. If it is an item I use, or have in the past, I’m happy to relate my experience with it. But if not, I get online and start researching. My go-to sites for photography product news and reviews are www.dpreview.com and www.cnet.com. Digital Photography Review always seems to know about a new camera release first and has the reviews it as soons as gets its hands on it. It compares cameras and lenses to help you make your choice and goes into further depth than any other site I’ve seen. It now has a printer hub as well. The review site c/net lists and rates electronic consumer products including digital cameras, printers, laptops and monitors. It’s a little less technical and a little more commercial but helpful all the same. A good source for user reviews of all kinds of camera equipment is also the most reliable photography store online, www.bhphotovideo.com. I love to just browse the site because I always find something I didn’t even know existed. And if you make a purchase, B&H sends you their catalog; a big, thick, gorgeous, full-color hard copy of a photographer’s dream book. If you live or visit anywhere near New York make sure you visit the amazing real-life store.

Winter Shooting Blues? Go Black and White

Posted on by
3
Taken near a geyser in Yellowstone, this black and white image show the use of contrast, shapes and texture.

At the end of fall each year, after the leaves have dropped, branches are bare, and landscapes are mostly brown, I feel at a loss of what to photograph. Sure a nice fluffy snow would work but even if we do get lucky, what to do until then? I’m sure this question plagues many nature photographers until the first buds of early spring or at least until the crocuses peek out.

This winter when I get a bit blue looking out at all the brown and grey I’m going to think black and white instead. Although I used to shoot nothing but black and white film years ago, I haven’t done a lot of it since going digital. Oh I’d convert a file now and then just to see what it would look like. Once I just had to try that overused technique of leaving a flower brightly colored while converting the rest of the image to black and white. But that’s a bit different than going out and actively looking for a scene that makes a great black and white image.

So what does make a great black and white image? Since you don’t have color to give the elements in your image separtation look for scenes with high contrast and tonal variance such as a whitish rock casting a dark shadow. Shapes, patterns and texture also add to a monochrome image. Think strong lines and curves formed by trees, rocks, mud and sand. I love details of tree bark or tree stumps. If you’re shooting a dramatic landscape look for a dramatic sky. Big fluffy clouds against a vivid blue sky can produce a great contrast when converted to black and white. The looming clouds of an impending storm also make an interesting black and white sky.

Once you decide what to shoot to create a black and white image the next question is how to shoot it. A question I’m asked frequently is, “Should I change the setting on my camera and shoot in black and white or wait and convert in post-processing?” Because I’m of the get-in-right-in-the-camera-first persuasion I used to tell my students to choose the black and white setting in the camera. But a few year have passed–lightyears technologically speaking–and there is now software available that does a terrific job of converting color files to black and white images, including Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2 and Adobe Photoshop CS5. Often I’ll convert to monochrome using Lightroom and Adobe Camera Raw.

Speaking of raw, shooting in raw format with a black and white image in mind as the final product is best whether you use the monochrome setting in the camera or convert in post-processing. You’ll get more detail and better tonal quality than you would with a jpeg. Plus, in some DSLRs, you can use the monochrome setting and see the playback in black and white but the raw format captures everything, including the color.

When you’re all set to shoot remember that exposure is still very important if not more so when making a black and white photograph. Make sure you nail those whites to get an image with detail and contrast. As always, a low ISO setting will reduce noise, which in some instances can be even more annoying in a black and white.

 

 

Welcome! New Website for DumasPhotos is Under Construction

Posted on by
1

Close up of Helton Creek Falls, HDR image.

Welcome to DumasPhotos, the home of the photography of Joyce Dumas of Mineral Bluff, Georgia. I am a nature photographer, retired art show vendor, photography instructor (Blue Ridge Art Center, John C. Campbell Folk School), co-founder of the photography association Blue Ridge Mountain Photographers, and a board member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Arts Association. I am the author of a photo book, Mountain Inspirations, and a textbook, Digital Photography 101: Lessons Learning While Teaching.

Once we get up and running, I am hoping to blog on a weekly basis about all things photographic including upcoming classes and workshops, what folks are shooting (with a camera!) up here and some educational information as well. I’m also planning to post a gallery of my work, of course, as it’s got to live somewhere.

So come back and hopefully watch us grow!