Spring Newsletter

April 2007

Dear friends, fellow photographers-

Spring is upon many of us in the USA, and not too far away for others in the world. For me it's always been a time of renewed energy, growth and new plans. We have been busily putting together a schedule for 2007 and 2008, and are excited by the new workshops and destinations we are offering.

I've been neck deep in organizing my digital files, as well as processing them. I read, and have pretty much adopted Peter Krogh's system as described in "The DAM Book" - an excellent guide for how to think about your collection of images and how to organize, keyword and archive them. It feels great to have made progress after being so backlogged in 2006.

As always, if you wish to be removed from my email list for workshop and tour announcements, newsletters, etc. please just click here and type "unsubscribe" in the subject area.

Feel free to contact my office directly with any questions, or e-mail me.

In this newsletter:

** Workshops and Tour Schedule
** TRIP Planner and Online Classes
** Photo Tips
** Quote and Thoughts

My workshops are an opportunity to learn, photograph, share in the enthusiasm, and get feedback on your progress.

My tours are similar. Although not as intensive in terms of teaching, they still offer opportunities to learn better and new techniques and approaches, and to share your photographs and get feedback from me both in the field and in evening discussions. Plus, you get the camaraderie of like-minded souls who are flexible, energetic, and dedicated to making great photographs of the place being explored!

TRIP PLANNERS on Betterphoto
Betterphoto has started up a new database Called Trip Planners - where instructors are adding info and pictures about their favorite places. It's a good resource - and more info will be added as others get on board with their pictures and info - from the greater Betterphoto membership. Check it out here.

ON-LINE PHOTO CLASSES CONTINUE - New Sessions begin April 4th!

Don't have time to take a week off from work for a workshop in the field? On-line courses are a perfect alternative. They offer schedule flexibility and the opportunity to create images in familiar territory - your favorite parks, beaches, or backyards. A virtual classroom doesn't make up for the hands-on experience, but it's a great way to fill the gap between those field workshops or photo tours you take, to keep the creative juices flowing. Check out Betterphoto.com.

Betterphoto offers the broadest range of courses I’ve seen in any online program. I’m teaching Creating Visual Impact, Travel Photography: Capturing a Sense of Place, Macro I and Macro II.


PHOTO TIPS

1. Custom White Balance. If you are shooting in JPEG mode, White Balance is even more important than if you are photographing in RAW mode. You want to do the least amount of editing changes to a JPEG after you get it from the camera as possible. Getting your white balance set up properly in the camera means just one less thing to be concerned about later. Yet even in RAW, there can be variations in the color of light, and rather than trying to adjust the color temperature and the tint later in RAW processing, you can use the EXPO Disc, to set a custom white balance for the actual color of the light you are working in, getting more accurate colors this way. Check out the Expo Disc at Delkin.

2. Think Vertical for Panoramas - many of you have tried various stitching programs and assembled great horizontal panoramas. But how many of you have considered vertical panoramas? Giant Sequoia trees, tall waterfalls, and a few other subjects would be great for vertical panoramas. The same techniques apply, about overlapping.

3. Continuous Frame for Stability and Sharpness. How many times have you been in situations where the shutter speed is just below what you feel you can comfortably hand-hold, yet you are without tripod or monopod for various reasons? Here's one solution to help: if you put your camera on continuous frame exposures, and press the shutter and hold for three or four pictures, there's a good chance that the ones in the middle of the series will be sharp - you always create some movement when pressing the shutter release, and when lifting your finger off of it! So the ones in the middle would be with the finger held steady on the button. It's not a perfect solution, but I can tell you it has saved the picture for me on a few occasions where I was not allowed in with a camera support of any type. Of course, these days we can bump the ISO up higher, but even then, we can reach the limit of what we can hand-hold. If there's no 'moment' you are trying to capture, then this is a good trick to remember.