Archive for August, 2008

A Cool New Photoshop Plug In

Friday, August 29th, 2008

I don’t normally do a whole lot of post processing with my photos, preferring them to come from the camera, but I was curious as word spread about a new creative plug in for graphics programs, such as Photoshop. It’s name is Topaz Adjust, from Topaz Labs. Among the artistic effects you can choose are exposure, color, noise and detail effects. While I haven’t really taken the time to “get to know” the program, I was able to whip out a couple of examples of what it can do in just five minutes.

Before
Before

After

Before

After

The amount of the effects can be controlled easily by sliding bars located in the menus. In both photos, I decided to go for a more “artsy” look.

My one “beef” with the program is the speed – or should I say, lack of – in applying the filter to your image. But, the creators of the program are listening to the users and are working on ways to speed it up.

There are some nice explanatory videos put out by Topaz Labs on You Tube to help get you started, if you’re like just about everyone else and hate reading manuals.

At $99 (on sale until Sept. 1 for $39), Topaz Adjust looks to be a great alternative to Lucis Art’s new version 6 at $595.

A great way to let your artistic side out to play!

Posted in Software | No Comments »

Countdown to Photokina 2008

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

The greatest (photo) show on earth is approaching: Photokina. Every two years, hundreds of thousands of people converge on the Kölnmesse in Köln, Germany, to spend days perusing the latest and greatest in the field of photography.

The show runs for six days – Sept. 23-28. And trust me, if you can, plan to attend all six days. There is so much to take in that, if you want to take your time and not have to rush (and have time to take a lunch break), it will take every day.

A few hints beforehand:

1. Exercise to get yourself ready to do a lot of walking. The Kölnmesse is large and break areas are not a priority there.

2. Don’t bother to bring bags to carry handouts. There will be plenty available there. I still have bags from Photokina six years ago that I use today. They’re practically indestructible.

3. English language books/brochures are available at most stands. However, you may have to ask for them as some keep them behind a counter.

4. And, speaking of brochures and handouts: there are tons of them. From the last Photokina, I brought home over a foot high stack of material. See hint number 1 – after a while, it gets heavy!!

5. There are plenty of food kiosks there for sandwiches, ice cream and such. There are also several sit down restaurants. Personally, we prefer to make sandwiches to bring with us. It not only saves time, but money.

6. The last day of Photokina, many of the vendors sell their wares at a greatly reduced price. Make sure to inquire early to reserve something if you want it. Some of my buys over the years: half off on a Monostat monopod; almost half off on a Peli watertight case; half off on various handpainted backgrounds; and, at the 2006 Photokina, about half off on a set of four Dedolight studio lights (and various accessories).

Many people bring their cameras to Photokina. There is always something to photograph, from the handpainted women to the occasional modeling session. My favorite at the last Photokina was the modeling session of the nude woman on the motorcycle. Not that I am into nude modeling, but I would have loved to have had my camera to take a photo of the men standing ten deep trying to snap a picture with whatever they had with them. Not to mention them hanging off anything they could climb/grab to take a peek.

Yes, I think this Photokina, I WILL bring my camera!

Posted in General Photo, Photokina | No Comments »

“Lichtungen – Reflexionen der Fotografie”

Friday, August 1st, 2008

My husband, being an Epson partner, periodically receives their newsletters. In one such newsletter was the announcement that the Epson Kunstbetrieb, located in Düsseldorf, would be holding a workshop for photographers.

I copied several of my photos onto a USB stick and we drove the two hours there. We found the actual workshop to be different than what was mentioned on the newsletter, but we decided to stay. Four workstations were set up where photographers could work on three of their photos, printing the final results on Epson’s large format 9880 and 11880 printers.

The best photos would be assembled for a month long exhibition – entitled “Lichtungen – Reflexionen der Fotografie”.

I received an email from Epson informing me that one of my photos had been chosen for the exhibition. I reviewed the five page contract they sent me and forwarded them the information about myself that they requested.

Since I needed to sign the contract in person, we decided to attend the opening event and arrive early to take care of business beforehand. Afterwards, we took the opportunity to relax at an outside cafe and have some ice cream while we waited for the opening.

As the time approached, we walked towards the entrance and saw the line of people waiting to enter the exhibit.

Opening Event

We stayed for about an hour, watching the people arrive and leave, and viewing the other photos. We also talked with several of the other artists that attended. Like me, they had brought their cameras to record the event. One told a bit of the selection process – there were 300+ photos submitted that 28 were selected from.

We had a glass of champagne, talked to the Epson hosts, then decided to start the two hour drive home.

My photo:

Vacancy

Posted in Epson, Exhibitions | No Comments »