Photos cure loneliness & gearing up for school season

Photography News that's Fit to Blog (This Week)
by Kerry Raminiak

News outlets are quiet, as expected, this official first-week of July. Digging deep we found out more about these headlines.

Kodak study finds photography is a solution to loneliness
It may be a bit of a stretch but a new study from Kodak that commissioned Judy Weiser (notable expert of the value and usability of PhotoTherapy techniques) indicates that photography has been found to help people build stronger relationships and that such are in dire need as a void has been created by the proliferation of less meaningful relationships multiplied by social media outlets. I encourage you to read the summary here. Your opinions are welcome as I am staying out of this one.

Digital photo frame ownership doubles between 2007 and 2008
According to PMA Marketing Research, 22 percent of U.S. households owned a digital photo frame in 2008, doubling from the previous year citing that previous year products had very specific impediments such as cost, connectivity and lack of features. The influence of social media outlets and the resultant prevalence of digital photo sharing is seen as a driver. A study by In-Stat indicates that desires are echoed in requests for integrated wireless connectivity and that digital photo frames are predicted to reach 50 million and that 8-inch frames will come in below $36 by 2013. To purchase or learn more about the In-Stat digital photo frame study, click here.

Nikon and Fujitsu establish a joint company
Nikon’s subsidiary Nikon Systems Inc. and Fujitsu Broad Solution & Consulting Inc. have established a join company to “accelerate the speed and quality of firmware development,” particularly software built into devices that control hardware. This is an important decision for both companies as all previous digital cameras built by either company utilized proprietary and locally developed firmware. Source PMAI.org.

How to get into school photography
We are putting together a new Assembly edition promotion to get school and sport team and individual photographers lined up for the season (stay tuned). In the meantime there are three avenues for furthering your education on the school photography business model:

• (Free) PSPA panel on PMA TV discusses ways to reach the school decision maker and how to get into yearbook (when you click the link you have to find the topic called “School Administrator/Decision Maker Panel” in the lower box)
  
  
• (Free with purchase of DARKROOM Assembly Edition) Desktop Darkroom hosts a free, individual, online and phone training session for anyone that purchases DARKROOM Assembly edition (the only all-in-one, no-lease-required school and sport T&I software on the market).
  
  
• (Not free; $449) Marathon Press hosts the School Photography Bootcamp with Chris Wunder during a 5-day workshop this month in Dallas, Texas.

Take great pictures this Fourth of July

A how to for all photographers (but DARKROOM users should take advantage of unexpected bonuses built into the software)
by Kerry Raminiak and Chris Johnson

The awe and spectacle of fireworks brings out the kid in everyone, and photographers, both professional and enthusiast alike, have a great opportunity to hone abilities, capture portfolio-worthy displays of skill and, with some savvy, even make a little money this Fourth of July.

The good news, after reading and compiling tops tips from a healthy group of sources (see below) it has become increasingly clear that DARKROOM users have a distinct advantage.

Because it is our nature, consider this your workflow tutorial for getting the best firework photography this season. (If you are not familiar, ExpressDigital’s DARKROOM software is a workflow solution designed to improve the entire photo taking process from organizing the event, capturing the shot, edits and enhancements, product overlays, printing and selling. Learn more about DARKROOM here.)

Location. Location. Location.

To start, you will need to set up your shots. Make sure you pick a place that will allow you to use a stable tripod and that putting one up will not hinder anyone else’s experience and enjoyment of the event (you don’t want to be that guy, right?). Some of the best tips on this topic also suggest having a landmark in the shot and/or a body of water for reflection purposes. This may require you being away from the crowds, so if you have your family and/or sweetheart with you, figure out which local radio station is playing the audio for the show and put a radio in your picnic basket so that you all are a part of the celebration too. This trick also helps you predict upcoming shots and finales. Also, make sure you are upwind! You don’t want your images to be smoky.

Pre-plan Your Set Up.

Now set up your camera. Obviously turn off your flash. There is a little debate on whether or not to increase your ISO. Most suggest leaving it at 100. If you want to toy around with your noise reduction feature, now is a great time to test your limits and take it over 200, understanding you should have digital photo editing software handy (like DARKROOM Professional Edition) just in case. Aperture should be set between f/8 to f/16 depending on your distance and desires.

Setting your shutter speed is a little more debatable depending on the effect you want. Choosing a slower shutter speed can show motion, streaming, capture longer streams of light and multiple bursts. Shorter shutter speeds will stop the motion of the firework, providing a more crisp image, however your timing is critical.

Most writers acknowledge that having a remote shutter release is a significant advantage to reduce camera shake. There are several options to remote shutter release: 1. Cable release, 2. IR remote release and 3. Self timer release. These options work well when you choose to set your shutter speed to “B” (or “bulb”) so that you can take an image of the entire lifespan and trajectory of the rockets. Another option (for DARKROOM Pro users) is to directly capture from a laptop with your automatic --long or short-- shutter settings acting upon one tap of the space bar (thus, “B” setting will not work). The bonus to this is you can also use Pro Edition’s editing capabilities to configure multiple exposure shots. Here is the how-to (keep in mind that when they refer to Photoshop, your Professional Edition gives you the same tools in the enhancement tab). The extra bonus is that you won’t need additional memory because you will be directly saving to your laptop.

If you prefer to use “bulb” setting you won’t need to have a laptop with you but you will need to bring extra memory and either own a shutter release solution or skip the sugar that day to keep your hand steady (you also might want to read tips on the topic here and here).

Setting your focus depends on your goals for the day and your skill level. If you have a standard landscape or “infinity” focus setting that is likely all you need. For those a little more advanced, set to manual and use the first bursts as your guide to get the very best shots. It’s your choice, of course. If you’re in it to hone your skills this is a great opportunity. If you want to relax a bit and take some great shots while you’re at it, no one will blame you for letting your camera do some of the work for you.

Great Pictures are Often Not the Greatest Reward.

After you have taken your shots there are two ways you can profit from this experience, if you are so inclined (beyond that of showing them off in your portfolio, of course). Event photographers often negotiate an opportunity with the show organizers to shoot for a fee or on spec, wherein you can also take pictures before the show of families and friends enjoying their picnics on the grass or in the stands. This type of photography is a priceless way to bring in more portrait business while also being incredibly popular sellers (just be sure to hand out something that tells your subjects how to get in touch with you).

Printing on site is a snap with DARKROOM. Just be sure to include some of the show shots in your packages to put everything into context.

If you don’t want to lug a printer around, any DARKROOM edition will allow you to post the pictures online for sale with the PhotoReflect feature. If you choose to sell exclusively online, be sure to find opportunities to promote your pictures either via the event organizer or with flyers, program advertising or local bulletins. If you are new to PhotoReflect, be sure to take this Getting Started webinar scheduled for next week (July 7, 2009 at 7:00pm Central) to get you published and selling online within an hour (for free!).

All that said…

The Fourth of July is a great chance to take advantage of your DARKROOM software in a variety of ways and hone your skills. For more tips check out the source links below and be sure to let us know how it worked out for you in the comments!

• Digital Photography School
• MalekTips
• The-Digital-Picture.com
• Adorama
• DarkroomSofware.com
• ExpressDigital.com

Commemorating Dog Days, MJ, Farrah and Kodachrome

Photography News that's Fit to Blog (This Week)
by Kerry Raminiak

July (for the purposes of this Monday news round-up) is here. In the Northern Hemisphere July 3 kicks off Dog Days. Yah, I know! Not only is it real but the term has been around for 12,000 years and the Farmer’s Almanac mentions that formal kick off marks the 40 hottest days of the year when the dog star, Sirius, is the brightest star in the sky --between July 3 and August 11. Who knew? (I mean other than the kind folks that post to Wikipedia.)

To commemorate, I am reposting these interviews with prominent pet portrait photographers Sarah Zemunski and Li Ward. Beware adorableness abounds.


Sad news.

On a much much heavier note, the past week in June 2009 will forever be associated with the untimely passing of two icons. PDNPulse has done a very nice job of summing up how hard it is to simply put pictures up in commemoration of Michael Jackson and so they link out Friday’s front (newspaper) pages. The South Florida Sun Sentinel has published this beautiful slideshow of Farrah Fawcett.

Although it seems trivial now, last week we also saw the end of Kodachrome. To our photography industry this marks a significant death nail for film photography as the giant not-so-quietly goes away. Pretty much every major photography news outlet has done a spotlight on the influence and impact of Kodachrome. Our favorites come from NPR (with smart audio including that snappy Paul Simon tune) and PhotoJojo, who invokes you to take one more turn with the format while you still can.


Getting buzz.

Did you read this article from the NYTimes last week? It is about how you can go to Flickr find some great images, print them yourself, frame them and decorate your home with awesome photography. Needless to say, such an idea is an affront to our hard work and I do believe it got nasty on their forum and Twitter. On Thursday the article was reposted and revised with this little note: Updates to this post address the controversy surrounding the use and reuse of other people’s content on the Internet. Congrats photo friends for getting them to change their stance a bit.

UPDATE. Late Friday night the original post got an even newer note: We’ve published a followup post addressing the legal and ethical issues raised by readers. We welcome your feedback on that post. Comments on this one are now closed. It is my opinion that the new post opens up a whole new can of worms by defensively arguing, with attorney purview no less, that publishing online does not guarantee rights with no mention of taking the high ground and having some integrity. I get the feeling that this is not the final word. I'll keep you posted (as I am a bit miffed).

Last week our CEO posted a note about how much he is enjoying Microsoft’s latest search engine Bing (read about it below or click here). Needless to say, the daily update of stunning professional photography as marketing tool is one we approve of. Now we are happy to announce that Bing wants YOUR PHOTOS to be a part of their “Summer Travel” daily expositions. Imaging Resource has posted the announcement from Microsoft with contest rules and restrictions. We couldn’t be more pleased!


News from my desk.

Today, June 29 at 3:00pm Central there will be a Getting Started with PhotoReflect webinar. If you are looking for a refresher course or simply need to get online with PhotoReflect’s free tools join in. They’re interesting and interactive.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 is the last day to take advantage of the DARKROOM price slash. If you need workflow software or additional licenses now is the time to act. Here is the how-to. Here is where you can download a free trial of version 8.91.1678.