PPS

Check Em Out

Yep even we do a little shameless self promotion occasionally. Gotta keep the goods coming! Our sister site Seim Effects has just launched a brand new set of Photoshop actions. This is a collection if effects geared towards the everyday needs of nearly any photographer. S.E already has lots of amazing photographers already using their effects and workflow. You won’t be disappointed*

There’s a detailed video showing them in “Action” over on Seim Effects. There’s also a launch sale over there. PPS readers can save 15% off this set, and any of actions or Lightroom Presets on S.E for a very limited time. Just use promo code “PPSS”

Fine Print… Yep we even have that :–)
* This detailed statistic is based on the fact that people love Seim Effects, and say so rather than the contrary. Though we cannot absolutely positively promise that you will never ever be disappointed, we’re really really thinking you won’t. If you have any trouble contact Gavin. He’ll be happy to take care of you.

<<Click To Listen - Photography Roundtable #8 PPS#48

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Todays Panel…
Gavin Seim ~ Seim Photography - Effects & Presets
Kerry Garrison ~ Camera Dojo - L7 Studios
Dennis Zerwas ~ DZ Photography

Show notes…
Episode Forum Discussion

Nikon launches the D700, the Sb900 flash, and two new lenses.

A cool article about sharpening in Photoshop

What brides and clients think of photo websites.

Is NILMDTS (Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep) doing things right? (@27:10)

The Hassleblad H3d has 50mp. A nice camera.

Boda Bag. Looks interesting, but is it all that great?

Tamrac Modular Accessory Belt is what Gavin uses to carry gear during shoots. He just attaches MAS pouches to it.

Dynamic Photo HDR. A PC only HDR program that looks pretty cool.

Kerry has been reviewing out the Photo Basics Strobe Lights. from photobasics.net

Ken Rockwell has articles on setting up your camera.

Rocket Air for cleaning sensors.

Visable Dust is a popular cleaner for heavy duty cleaning.

Picks of the week.
Kerry Likes the Black Rapid R Strap.

Dennis says Phanfare is now his anti-pick because they have taken away features.
Smugmug is his new most favored one.

Gavin is excited about his MP3 Tape

Our friends over at the CameraDojo blog have announced an e-seminat that will take place this Fri 1:PM PST talking about tips for Adobe Lightroom 2.

It’s being hosted by Rick Miller. We’re told that these are usually closed events but if you head on over to Cameradogo they’ve got an invite code that their sharing and it will get you in. If you have some free time on Fri, check it out, and get some new knowledge.

The session was near Ritzville Washington. We were on a bridge that spanned this pond, and the lighting had been really flat thru the session, though we had still got some great shots. It was getting pretty dark however and I needed something dramatic to finish up with. The clouds had destroyed my dreams a stunning HDR sunset, and I knew I had to try something fast.

Looking around at the light, I got a plan. The car headlights on My Pontiac had gone on, and cast light and shadows across their path. I had the 580EX, but on camera flash was not what I needed here. I decided to try something I had never done before by parking the car across the road with the lights on Jacob. After editing with a few of my Lightroom effects I was able to get some pretty cool results.

There were birds flying all around the pond as well, and I decided to get a few shots with them in the background. It paid off! This shot was made with the “UBW Vintage” preset from my B&W set, plus a little tweaking. You can see a few more from this session on Jacobs Senior Portraits, over on my blog. I’ve decided to open up my mind to more alternative lighting techniques in the future and see what comes… Gavin Seim

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Just about to retire for the night until I read Terry White’s latest post over at Terry White’s Tech Blog. Adobe has released Lightroom 2.0 as a Public Beta and is now available to download. Check out Terry’s Lr 2.0 Beta post for a great explanation on how Lightroom 1.3 and the 2.0 Beta will coexist. Download it here at Adobe Labs Here are some of the new features in this Beta version:

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Just posted over at Seim Effects is a free video about using burn and dodge to control light and dimension in your image.

Burn and dodge is an overlooked tool, and it’s true we see images all the time that need it. It’s not hard to apply, and it doesn’t take long to transform an image with burn & dodge and get that final magic! Yep even with those HDR images.

Watch the video