Almost seems too easy….except for that huge rig they’re using. I’m just amazed at the results from this. I’m not a huge Audi fan, but I really wasn’t looking at the car much during this video!
Tag digital
LensProToGo Viewfinders
My great friends over at LensProToGo have just launched an amazing new partnership called Viewfinders. It’s an opportunity for anyone and everyone to interact and learn about some of the greatest talents in our industry. To learn more about the whole thing, check out their recent blog post. Click here to check out the Viewfinders site (oh, and by the way, I built the site for them!).
I like being social
Did you know? I’m all over the social networks. Make sure and join me!
LensProToGo Gear Sale!
My good buddies over at LensProToGo (their blog) are having a huge gear sale! Check out the announcement by clicking HERE.
Canon 1D X Announced
Well, in the chess match between Canon and Nikon, Canon has once again made a ‘first move’. Perfect timing for the upcoming Photo Plus Expo, this release of their new monster DSLR will surely great some stir–and probably some anger with Nikon folks. Quick summary: 18mp, full frame CMOS, 12 fps, ridiculously fast processing, all of the amazing movie capabilities you would expect–now with 2 different compression options. Those are just to name a few. I’ll let these guys fill in the rest:
iOS 5 Essentials
You may or may not have known that yesterday Apple released it’s newest iteration of it’s highly popular iOS operating system for iDevices–5.0. As you may imagine it’s a pretty big update. To find out full details, visit the Apple site.
I’ve highlighted just a few of my personal top favorites. Of course, there are many many others, but these are the ones that really stick out to me.
Notifications
Notifications
Notification Center
Now, instead of getting those pesky popups interrupting your important Angry Birds time, there’s simply a very discreet dropdown from the top of the screen that just says you have something there (image #1). Whether it’s a text, a reminder, a push notification from a sports app, or anything that used to pop up right in the middle of the screen now comes quietly from the top so you don’t accidentally tap buttons anymore.
Even better is the new Notification Center (image #2). This is where all of your notifications, reminders, calendar events, and even a stock ticker and current local weather reside. From any screen anywhere, just flick your finger from top down to ‘pull down the curtain’. It’s really sweet!
Shortcuts – Keyboard extension
Keyboard Shortcuts Menu
Shortcut In Action
Long sought after, but not at all advertised is the new keyboard shortcut feature. It goes along the lines with autofill–as you begin to type a word, iOS will give you it’s suggestion so you don’t have to continue typing the rest of the word. Now, you can customize and make your own! Just go to Settings>General>Keyboard and at the bottom of the page is the ‘Shortcuts’ section. Tap ‘Add New Shortcut…’ to type the phrase and shortcut you’d like. Some popular ones are address, email, and phone, but there are many others. If you find you use the same phrases over and over, this feature is surely for you. Oh, and it works anywhere you can type anything, not just in texts or emails!
iCloud
iCloud Settings Menu
iCloud Online
In my opinion the best of all, iCloud is the new MobileMe (which doesn’t exist anymore). The main focus of iCloud is to be able to have your Address Book, Calendars, Documents (from Numbers and Pages, etc), Photos, and email (@me.com account only) all in one place–in the cloud. Let’s say you have just 1 Apple device–a laptop for example–you store all your contacts in Address Book, you use your Calendar religiously, and maybe even you have some presentations and Docs you’d like to store. It can all be done through iCloud automatically–you don’t have to manually sync anything. If that wasn’t good enough, where this service really shines is if you have multiple Apple devices–say an iPhone, iPad, and a laptop. Storing everything in the cloud allows you to access all of this information anywhere you are from any device. And better yet, when you add a contact on your phone for example, it will automatically sync to the cloud AND to all your other devices almost instantaneously. Setup is easy–once you install iOS 5, the new welcome screen will walk you through–in fact, you even use your current Apple ID. Oh and did I forget to mention: THIS IS ALL FREE!! How awesome!
Other ‘Yays’ & ‘Nays’
Yay – Uninterrupted iTunes syncing. Your iDevices will now sync in the background so you can still use them during the process.
Yay – Camera access from the Lock screen and ‘shutter release’ using volume buttons.
Yay – ‘Reminders’ is a great to-do list that syncs with iCloud but also allows you to make location specific reminders–like the next time you drive by the food store to ‘get milk’.
Yay – Photo editing – auto-enhance and cropping right in the ‘Photos’ app.
Nay – WiFi iTunes syncing. Cool idea, but the device needs to be plugged into power for this feature to work….kind of defeats the purpose of wireless right?
Nay – no Siri for anything other than iPhone 4s – not cool.
Hope this all helps! Let me know if you have any questions!
‘Light It’ iPad Magazine from Kelby Media Group launches
Photography training mogul Kelby Media Group has launched an iPad only digital publication called ‘Light It’. The premiere issue (available now), is free–yes FREE–and can be downloaded here: Light It. No word quite yet as to how much subscriptions will be, but knowing the Kelby crew, it will be worth every penny! I’ve downloaded it myself and have included a couple screenshots. The content not only looks amazing but is of course incredibly useful. It’s not super ‘ad heavy’ but they are present–interested to see if paid subscriptions will diminish some of the ads. Entire spread is 54 pages long, I’d say 30-35% is full page ads.
Workshops at CDIA
Hot off the presses! Officially announced this week: my 3 upcoming workshops at CDIA in Waltham in July. Here’s the details:
Advanced Speedlights (Nikon & Canon)
When: Friday July 8, 2011 9a – 12p
Cost: $75
Please contact us to register: REGISTER ONLINE or by phone 800-808-CDIA (2342)
Are you not as comfortable using speedlights as you’d like to be? In this workshop, we’ll take the second-guessing out of these sometimes confusing flash units and learn how to approach their use in several situational examples. Through in-class shooting exercises, we’ll see the difference between working with flash inside and outside as the primary and secondary light source.
Main topics we will cover:
- Understanding the terminology – sync speed, curtain sync, i-TTL/ETTL, and more
- Speedlight as the primary light source
- Speedlight as the secondary light source (fill)
- Working with an off-camera speedlight
- Working with multiple speedlights
- Thinking creatively – overpowering the sun, using modifiers, and more
Prerequisites:
Intermediate to advanced DSLR understanding, beginner to intermediate speedlight understanding
Class Requirements:
notebook & pen, Nikon or Canon DSLR w/memory card and lens(es), minimum of 1 Nikon or Canon speedlight, extra AA batteries for speedlight(s)
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Business of Photography
When: Friday July 22, 2011 9a-4p
Cost: $99
Please contact us to register: REGISTER ONLINE or by phone 800-808-CDIA (2342)
There’s nothing more satisfying than making money doing something you’re passionate about. This workshop is for anyone with an entrepreneurial spirit who has ever wondered how to take their photography business to the next
level but didn’t know how to start.
Main topics we will cover:
- Basic infrastructure – setting up your business
- Design – importance of building a cohesive visual identity
- Marketing – creating a plan and the power of the web
- Proposal writing and pricing – a systematic approach with in-class group exercises
- Branching out – other ideas to expand your business
Class Requirements:
notebook & pen, laptop for note taking and research (optional).
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Advanced Photography Workflow
When: Saturday July 23, 2011 9a-12p
Cost: $50
Please contact us to register: REGISTER ONLINE or by phone 800-808-CDIA (2342)
Time is money, and there’s more money to be made behind the camera than at the computer. Working efficiently and effectively when at your computer is the key to allowing yourself more time behind the camera.
In this advanced workshop, we will cover ideas and strategies for digital asset management and image editing using Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. We will explore the important options for organizing your files using a
flexible software program: Lightroom.
Just as important as organizing your files after a shoot is approaching editing and retouching. We’ll also cover how to keep a consistent look to your images – whether it’s a couple from a low budget shoot or a high volume project like a wedding or event.
Main topics we will cover:
- Advanced strategies for organizing assets on your computer
- Using Lightroom to manage your images with emphasis on working with multiple catalogs
- Importance of consistency when editing and ideas on implementing standard practice techniques
- Advanced retouching strategies with emphasis on batch processing and working with Photoshop actions
- Other tools, software, and techniques available to help streamline your workflow
Prerequisites:
Intermediate to advanced understanding of Adobe Lightroom and intermediate knowledge of Adobe Photoshop.
Class Requirements:
notebook & pen, attendees are encouraged to bring their own laptop but it is not a requirement.
Adobe Nav for iPad
As someone who uses Photoshop probably more than any other application on my computer (aside from like..Mail of course…), think will be a VERY welcome addition to my arsenal.
2 displays + wacom tablet on the right + iPad armed w/Adobe Nav on the left = Really happy, really efficient, but mostly REALLY nerdy Brian