Here’s an article Just posted on Seim Effects about getting noticed by consumers in a competitive photography world. Drop over and give your thoughts on the matter.
Gavin Seim
Welcome To Oz. A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography
Most of us have at least heard of Vincent Versace. He’s revered as a master of light by most, and his book is about giving your images that Hollywood fantasy quality using PS.
This thing is loaded with beautiful pictures, and for me that’s a big deal because I get a lot of ideas by seeing what others are doing and adding my own ideas to it. It’s not just images though. It’s chock full of technique and how to, and even includes a DVD that has high res images from the book so you can try them yourself.
As with most of the products I feature in CPOTW, the Amazon reviews speak for it. Check it out here.
The Lens Pen
There’s a multitude of lens cleaning products out there, but the Lens Pen allows you to easily clean or brush off a lens. really fast, really portable, and really reusable.
To the point! On one end it’s a cleaning pad that really works, and without any solution (takes off fingerprints too). The other end is a retractable brush for getting off excess dust. It’s all about the size of a large pen.
This one is Nikon branded, but it’s cheaper and works great. I have two of them. You can’t go wrong with theese… Gavin Seim
6 Tips for great HDR images.
HDR is just cool. Amazingly there seems to be a relatively small amount of information on HDR as it relates to the people pictures. By most HDR is treated as a fun toy to use with nature photo’s, and not much more. One of the reasons for this could be that HDR portraits are a bit challenging, and unknown territory. It’s not rocket science, but it does take some time to get the hang of. Here’s a few tips that you can use for both landscapes and people shots.
1. Break out the tripod. Don’t think you’re going to take great HDR’s hand holding a camera. While some HDR rendering software will attempt to line them up, you really need clear, consistent images for great HDR’s. Stability is key!
2. Use a cable release. This is a good rule with portraits and stills alike. You want those images to be lined up as close as possible, so invest in the tools to keep your camera steady. Beside it looks cool to stand there majestically and press the button.
3. Auto Bracket. Most DSLR’s have an auto bracket function that allows you to have -2, 0 and +2 exposures in one quick burst. AB allows you to expose things fast without handling the gear as much, and I find that those 3 images are usually all you need.
It looks like Nikon’s prepping a new DSLR for the middle of their pro lineup. The D700 is rumored to be announced this August, and available later this year.
This little gem should go for a little over 3k USD, and is rumored to have the same sensor that graces the Nikon D3
This is spy shot of the supposed D700 as reported by Engadget. Head on over there for more gritty details, and stay tune for real facts in the future.
People often ask me how to clean the dust that causes image spots, off their digital camera sensors. There are many more dangerous and or expensive methods, but this usually works for me.
Rocket Air
Aside from cleaning your senors you’ll soon be blowing all kinds of stuff, like the dust out of your keyboard. If your like me you’ll like it so much you’ll start blowing it in your kids face, and shooting air into your mouth to see what different sounds you can make.
It’s all over the net, but you can find Rocket Air here on Amazon
