First Light Images Photography- "Where old photos are restored to precious memories."

Check your Camera Equipment

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Each year before spring comes I go thru my gear to make sure all the nuts and bolts are tight along with making sure every is in working order. Don’t overlook your tripod as I did one year as my camera went to the ground because of a loose bolt on my tripod. That was an expensive lesson!

If you are looking for a guide on using Epson printers the book The Art of Printing Photos on you Epson Printer by Michael Freeman and John Beardsworth is great source of information on the basics of inkjet printing.

Check out the following site; http://www.thedigitalphotoguy.com/ This is very cool site with lots of tips and information on digital photography. The Monday Morning Tips are really most helpful. If you looking for online photography class this is the place to look.

Restoration Tips

When you are not satisfied with the specific action you have performed on an image use the Undue Button (Ctrl+ Z).
Make sure the Brush Type, Hardness, Size, Mode and Opacity will work on the specific spot before tackle that part of the image. (I keep a record of the brushes I use in my restorations)
Until next time…

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Restoration Tips

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The restoration and retouching tips that I will share over the weeks come from the two books I mentioned in an earlier blog along with what I found that works with my restoration process.

There are a variety of approaches to fixing the same problem with a photo in PSE or PS as this can be very confusing in learning to fix an image. Experience and practice using the different techniques will give you the most satisfying results. Learning the tools, commands and controls will remove the overwhelming feeling when you work with the software. I would encourage you explore and experiment with the image you are working to find which technique works to produce a final image.

Learning to retouch or restore images I would encourage you work on the same image until you get the tool and the process perfected that results in your skill development.

Tips

Learn the keyboard shortcuts. Move your mouse over the tool which will list the name of the tool along with the shortcut.

Images that are overexposed or faded you can apply Multiply in the Blend Modes to darken the image along with adding density to highlights and midtones. Check out the various Blend Modes and the effects they will have on our image.

Several of the tools that you need to master early on are the Spot Healing Brush (which is best used for simple surfaces and smaller problems). The Clone Stamp (is used repairing and retouching fine details and rebuilding areas that are missing image information. You likely will switch back and forth on an image with these two tools.

In using brushes you need to consider the shape, size, hardness and opacity. With the Clone Stamp Tool use brushes 50-80 % opacity to avoid ghostly edges. When using the Spot Healing Brush use very hard brushes.

If you are looking for a guide on using Epson printers the book The Art of Printing Photos on you Epson Printer by Michael Freeman and John Beardsworth is great source of information on the basics of inkjet printing.

Until next time…

Restorations questions

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The past several months I’ve had a number of enquiries about how to get started restoring old photos. Over the next few weeks I will share some my thoughts and tips on photo retouching and restoration.

About seven years ago I began the journey of restoring old photos. I had a box of very old family photos and restored one photo and got hooked. The photo of the three solders was my first restoration and it can be found along with other restorations on this site. My favorite site is RetouchPro http://www.retouchpro.com/ The forum provides lots of good information on restoration and retouching, along with some great tutorials..

The first information that I got was from googling the web. I worked with an early version of Photoshop Elements (PSE) and didn’t use layers. What I learned was by trial and error for the most part. Very quickly I learned to keep a written record of my photo restoration process.

If I made a mistake in the early days of my restoration process I had to start all over again as I didn’t use layers. Learning PSE I found the world of layers.

If you are not familiar with the concept and use of layers, check out the following book. Layers: The Complete Guide to Photoshop's Most Powerful Feature by Matt Kloskowski

Using the layers allows you to work an area without disturbing other layers of the image completed in the restoration process. If I don’t like what have done with specific it can be deleted with destroying your work on the image. This is where Matt’s book on Layers really helps to improve your restoration workflow.

Equipment: I work on a PC with a 24 in monitor that is color calibrated and a Wacom Intuos 2, 6x8 tablet. The use of a Wacom allows me have touch and pressure control on the image as I work on a restoration.. You can do very precise work with whatever tablet you use that is not available with a mouse. The size of the tablet really depends on your work area. There are many times I wish I had a 4x6 tablet. You don’t need a tablet to do restoring as I was into restoring for nearly two years before I purchased a tablet.

Software: Currently I use Photoshop (PSCS3} as my primary software. For almost 4 years I used Photoshop Elements software with my restorations. Either of these software work very well due the ability use the layers feature in restoring the image

Books:

If you want to two really great books on the subject of repairing and restoring photos these would be my top picks.

The book that is really my main source of reference is; Adobe Photoshop Restoration & Retouching (3rd Edition) by Katrin Eismann and Wayne Palmer. This book was written for Photoshop but the majority of the restoration techniques can be used in Photoshop Elements. This book next to my computer as I work on an image.

The book, The Photoshop Elements 5 Restoration and Retouching Book by Matt Kloskowski. This book works also with PS software.

Both authors have done a very nice job on the subject of photo restorations. To me Katrin has written the most complete book on this subject to date.

Beginning the Restoration Process:

Scanning the old photo is the key to a successful restoration. Scanning with a fax, printer, scanning machine will not give you a quality photo to import. The image generally is in not great shape so you need to use a scanner that can produce the best image possible. Use a photo scanner or get your photo professionally scanned and saved as tiff file.

After importing the image into Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, save the image as a copy in a psd format. Always work on the copy during restoration.

Planning Image Restoration:

Before I work on the restoration I print an image so that I can create a image map as to what I want to do to the image. You need to determine what needs be restored before you begin the restoration process.

Image Mapping

The idea of mapping came from a book by Vincent Versace called Welcome to Oz: A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop. The book takes you through a detailed process of working an image in Photoshop (or PSE) and also has merit working with restorations.

Once you determined the restoration or retouching needed on an image, the mapping begins.

The largest area to be restored is the first map area to create, the next largest area and so on. Label each with a number or letter in order of restoration. Once you complete the image mapping write notes either on the image section or to a notebook of what you want to do to the image. These detailed notes will of much value as improve your technique and for future restorations. The last mapping area of the image is generally the face.

Once you have restored a map area, save the layer for going to the next map area. By using layers you can always go back to a layer for further restoration.

Photo Restoration really takes time and a lot of patience. Practice! Practice! Practice!

Tip # 1

Don’t try to finish the image in one sitting. When you come back after a period of time you will be amazed at what new things you see in the image to fix and restore.

If you have any specific questions about restorations send me an email and try to answer your questions. Enjoy restoring old photos into precious memories.

Until next time…

A Special Season…

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The past few days I’ve been busy completing several photo restorations along with printing and framing images for gifts. I’m spending a lot of time by cleaning upn images on my hard drive that I should have deleted months and years ago.

Recently I was at my favorite store, “Pro Photo Supply here in Portland and noticed a number of new photo books on the shelf. So I wanted to share some of my favorite socking stuffer books,

Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Boxed Set, Volumes 1, 2, and 3 by Scott Kelby (Paperback - Oct 3, 2009)

The Art of Printing Photos on Your Epson Printer by Michael Freeman and John Beardsworth (Paperback - Sep 15, 2009

The Complete Guide to Black & White Digital Photography (A Lark Photography Book) by Michael Freeman (Paperback - Nov 3, 2009)

Advanced Digital Black & White Photography (A Lark Photography Book) by John Beardsworth (Paperback - Oct 1, 2007

I hope you find a new photo toy under the Christmas tree this year.

Chelan “The Wonder Dog” and I want to wish all you a wonderful Holiday and Happy New Year.

Until next time…

It feels like winter

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's beginning to feel like Christmas with all the cold weather we are having here in the Northwest.

I found a very cool photography site that has lots of great information along with some excellent videos http://www.robnunnphoto.com/. Check out Rob's videos on using a Lensbaby Composer along with some great podcasts.

Recently I added a Panasonic LX3 camera as a pocket camera to use in my wanderings. The LX3 has a Leica lens 24 to 60, f2.0- f2.8 and the ability to shoot in RAW. DP Review has a really complete review on LX3,   http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/PanasonicDMCLX3/ .

The Canon G11 and LX3 are two really nice advanced P&S cameras.  Another excellent camera is the Canon S90 which is a smaller camera than the LX3 and it also shoots RAW.

Stay warm!

Until next time...

JG

Holiday's are approaching

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The holiday's are just around the courner and now is the time to produce those very special prints for your loved one's. This year my images will continue to be in the B&wW mode using Lightroom. I you havn't downloaded Lightroom 3 Beta I would encourage you to do so. Very cool software for photographers.

The Lenswork magazine focus is fine B&W photography and the creative process. In addition to the magazine they have Lenswork Extended on disk that has articles, interviews and additional images that that are not in the printed version. The magazine and disk are produced 6 times a year. They currently have Holiday Specials for their products. They have produced some fantastic books that will aid you in your gaining new skill and better understanding the creative process. One of my favorite books is “on being a photographer” is in its eight printing and is now available to photographers. I would encourage you to visit this site; http://www.lenswork.com/

I have mentioned in earlier blogs the podcasts that Brooks Jensen the editor produces can be found on his site or iTunes for free.

I've recently added more images to Zoey's Gallery, so please check it out.

Currently I'm working on several new resorations that will be added to my site next week.

Until next time...

JG

I'm back

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Somewhere these past months I misplaced my creativity and energy with the loss of my wife. I didn’t have any desire to even pickup a camera or do a restoration. The good news for me is I found my creativity and what a great feeling that is for me.

I learned a few things that I want to share with you that I found out about myself as I dealt with my grieving process.

First each person deals differently with the lost of a loved one.

Allowing yourself to feel joy and getting on with life is so important with journey of the grieving process.

My daughter and I have always been very close but with the passing of Yvonne we have become closer if that is possible. Support and love during difficult times helps in this g… process.

I was so fortunate that my wife and I could say goodbye to each other about a month before is passing. Additionally, Yvonne gave me permission to move ahead with my life after passing. I didn’t realize the positive role her permission would be in the grieving process. I will always be grateful for the love that was given with that permission.

These are some of the thoughts that have been wandering around head…

Since the last entry on my blog I have purchased a Canon 5D Mark ll with an f2.8, 70- 200 IS lens. Wow! What amazing camera and lens. Last night I was reading the latest issue of Outdoor Photographer with all the new dSLR’s. It seems every few months a manufacture adds a new model to its inventory. Now the new Canon 7D is the hot item in the photo stores. With all the new toys in the photo stores I can’t help quoting a local photographer pal, “You can only use one camera a time”.

Light Discription is one of my favorite sites that I visit.. Gordon Buck focus has been to discuss his journey using the Canon G9 the past several years. Gordon has just started a new series of thoughts on the Canon 7D that he recently purchased. I would encourage you to check out the site even is you don't use either camera. This site is fulled with really good "Stuff". http://lightdescription.blogspot.com/

I wanted to let everyone know that there is a free Lightroom 3 Beta download available until March 2010. I’ve been using it the past week and most impressed buy the additions to this already great software. On the site are some great videos for LR 3.

http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom3/

I work mostly in LR 2 for processing my images. My photo restorations I use Photoshop CS3. PS Elements is great software also for restorations.

For those that I told I would not be purchasing any more upgrades of Photoshop Elements, I lied as PSE 7 is now on my computer. The reason I did was for Graffi’s actions as my PSE 5 died and needed to upgrade actions. Mike provides some really amazing actions for PSE users. http://www.graficalicus.com

I noticed that he has ready made available actions for PSE 8.

Recently I started a mentoring project with a student wanting to learn photography. We started this project with her by going to buy a new Canon XSi and lens. Zoey's excitement and enthusiasm is very contagious as she learns the details of photography along with the printing process. She is like a sponge in soaking up the information and thoughts as we work together. I’m planning to put a page on my website for the images that Zoey shoots. The first images should be up around December 1^st.

My brother Diego, http://www.condeimaging.com several years ago did a number of B&W images of dead leaves. Now that fall colors are pretty much gone it a good time to gather up some dead leaves and let them dry before you photograph. Shoot them in raw or jpeg in color and convert them to B&W image or LR. You will be amazed how cool you images will turn out.

Until next time…

PSE Users

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I mentioned on my last blob about the very cool group of people on the Photoshop Elements Community website. It is a great place to learn about PSE and if you have a question or problem you find a solution to an issue.

http://www.photoshopcreativeelements.com/

Over the past year I have gotten acquainted with really amazing people on the forum. This week I went down in the valley to send some time with two of the members of the forum and what a great time we had. Thanks to Jane and Gail for taking time out of the day for us to spend time together.

I loaded PSE 7 and it is an improvement over PSE5. I was asked this week to make a recommendation for a good book on PSE7. Take a look at the book “Photoshop Elements 7 The Missing Manual” by Barbara Brundage. This book really the only one you will need to learn PSE7.

The other website I would encourage you to check out is

http://www.graficalicus.com/

Graffi has a lot of very cool actions and information on his site for PSE users. His Add-O-Matic software makes loading actions so easy into PSE. The actions that Graffi has created for PSE7 provide you with tools that you could only get with Photoshop. I have been a fan of Graffi’s actions since I found his site. Additionally, you find some great tutorials on his site. Graffi is also very helpful if you have any questions.

Until next time…

Flash Photography

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The past weeks I’ve been on a quest to learn more about flash photography. In the past years I would try all costs not to go near my flash as if it as it was the flu.

One of my photographer pals turned me on to the website, http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/
This site has really helped me get a better understanding lighting and using a flash. I would encourage you to sign up for the blog downloads. Lighting 101 is a great place to start on Strobist.

I recently purchased several very good books on the Lighting and Flash Photography. I’ve learned so much about lighting and flash photography from the following books;

Mastering Digital Flash Photography by Chris George, Exposure and Lighting For Digital Photographers Only by Michael Meadhra and Charlotte Lowrie and Lighting PhotoWorkshop by Chris Bucher.

Recenty I purchased Gary Fong’s "WhaleTail” flash diffuser and what a difference it has made taking pictures of Chelan the wonder dog in the house.
http://garyfonginc.com/index.html

I’ve had a number inquires about Photoshop Elements 7, so I purchased a copy to better understand your questions about this software. A really good website to get good information on PSE or just hang out is,

http://www.photoshopcreativeelements.com/index.php

This time of the year we start thinking about getting out and taking our first spring photos. Now is the time to make sure that all the screws, nuts and bolts are tight on your equipment. I learned a few years ago the hard way when I didn’t check my tripod and one of the leg locks became loose and fell over with the camera and lens attached.

Later this week I’m off to take my pictures of 2009 spring flower.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you that have sent your condolences on the passing of my wife. Your thoughts and support have given me much comfort during these difficult days.

I will get back to posting on the blog and adding photos on a regular schedule.

Until next time….

Display at Starbucks

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Starting today I will have a number of B&W images on display for the month of January at the Fred Meyer Startbucks in Oregon City Oregon. I hope you can stop by have cup of coffee and enjoy the images.

Until next time.
JG

Cold Weather and the Holiday Season

Sat, 20 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Today is a very cold and snowing day in Portland. We are expecting more cold weather as a new front is about to arrive here with wind, snow and ice.

I’ve spending a great deal time the past few days to getting 20 images ready to print. Yesterday was a day for printing my images that go on display in January. I printed the images direct from Lightroom which was so cool to use for printing. You can try Lightroom software for 30 day trial from Adobe at https://www.adobe.com/ . Lightroom software plays such a role in my digital darkroom process.

The two source books that I use are Lightroom 2 by Martin Evening and Photoshop Lighroom 2 Adventure by Mikkel Aaland. I would recommend both of these books for your library.

Joe Barett's website http://www.image-space.com/ is filled with lots of great information and tips about Lightroom. I visit his site on a regular basis. Joe has written eBooks that has some great tips for Lightroom 1 and 2.
http://www.image-space.com/Downloads/Downloads.html .
Joe has a library of tips by Lightroom module for you review.

I’m spending more time these days working on B&W images in Lightroom and Photoshop. I will be posting several Spilt Tone images that I recently finished.

For you Photoshop users I was recently recommended several recipe style books by Diego Conde of the Virgin Islands. The books are The Adobe Photoshop CS3 book for digital photographers by Scott Kelby, Photoshop Photo Effects Cookbook by Tim Shelbourne and Adobe Photoshop CS3 Top 100 Tips and Tricks by Lynette Kent. These books do not duplicate each other and have a considerable number of tips and solutions for users of PS. I find these books most helpful in gaining greater understanding of PS3.

I want to use you all a very Happy Holiday Season!

Until next time…

A special gift

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The holidays are speeding towards all of us as we look for that special gift for a specific loved one. I would suggest that you retouch or restore that treasured old photo from the family album as that gift. You would be surprised by scanning the photo and using Photoshop Elements tools you can restore the precious memory for that special gift. Even if you don’t have a lot of skill using PSE there is a wonderful book out by Matt Kloskowski, “The Photoshop Elements 5 Restoration and Retouching Book”. The book is written in a recipe form with the steps very easy to follow. You can find the book on Amazon or at Barnes and Noble bookstores. Should you have a question about the photo you are working on, send me an email, along with photo and I will try to answer your question.

When printing retouched old photos I’ve completed I prefer to use a good quality matte paper. Epson, Canon and Red River have excellent matte paper.

Look forward to your questions.

Until next time….

Happy Thanksgiving

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Thanksgiving season is very special time to me this year. The past year has been an amazing journey for me. I’m so thankful for the doctors and staff which are involved in treating my cancer. The support that family and friends have provided me on this journey. I have so much to be thankful for and look forward to sharing the holiday season with my family and friends.

I started printing B&W images for folios that will be offered in the next few weeks. There are two themes for the first folios; lighthouses and covered bridges. The folios will hold 8 x 10 images. Each folio will contain 5 to 8 photos.

December is going to be a busy month as I have 18 to 20 images to print and frame for display at a local coffee house January 1^st. I have a few photo restorations scheduled to be finished in December. I will be posting several of the new restorations on this website.

Recently I started using several of the Red River papers for the folio images. The Polar Matte and Arctic Polar Satin papers work very well with the Epson 2200 and R800 printers. The B&W tones of the Polar Matte are outstanding.

You can purchase a sample pack of 18 papers for $7.99 plus postage to try the papers on your printer. http://www.redrivercatalog.com/.

Red River has a wide variety of paper and card stock to choose from. Their papers can be used with a number of inkjet printers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Until next time…

Fall Colors

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Today I went out shot some images of fall colors. It felt really great to have a camera back in my hand shooting landscapes.

Yesterday I was reading “Letting Go of the Camera” by Brooks Jensen. The book is a series of essays that span a 10 year period of his writing efforts. The essays focus on creative process and photography. Every time I read an essay, I find something that has impact on my creative thinking process. I realized that I must have read this book at least five times now and still find things to think about as a photographer.

The book is available at; http://www.lenswork.com/

Recently I was asked about if I was going to upgrade to Photoshop Elements 7. I made a decision that I was staying with PSE 5 and would migrate to Photoshop CS3 in the coming months. I first phase of the move away from Elements was to purchase Adobe Lightroom 1.3. Late spring I purchased Photoshop CS3 and started learning the new software. The learning curve is slow process and lots of sand traps along the way. I recently purchased the Lightroom 2.0 and fine the new features a real benefit over Lightroom 1.3.

On a personal note I found the PSE 5 and Graff’s actions it made this version of Elements a powerhouse product. In the past I worked with Graffi to beta test several action packages he was developing for Photoshop Elements. Griffi;s actions offer you things that you could only get with photoshop. Graffi has amazing individual actions that he shares on his website.for free. Additionally, he has grouped several bundled actions for a really great price. The actions I used the most with Handy Actions, B/W Lab, Glam Photo and Add-O-Matic.

http://www.graficalicus.com/

Graffi is really good about answering your email questions. He is continuing to create actions for Photoshop Elements 5, 6 and 7. I would encourage you to sign up for daily Rant and Ravings blog. Great “stuff”!

Another great source for PSE information is from the friendly folks at;

http://www.photoshopcreativeelements.com/. The people on this forum have a wealth of knowledge about Photoshop Elements and are welling to share.

Until next time enjoy the fall colors.

Thank you NWCS

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

First, I want to say thank to Dr. Weinstein, staff and nurses (Chemo Suite) at Northwest Cancer Specialists for your care and support. You’re the greatest. Also want to thank those special friends and family that provided me with support as I went through my chemo treatments.

It is good to back writing on my blog. I’m looking forward to getting out and using the camera again as I get more energy back in my body. One of my first projects is to continue to photograph the remaining covered bridges in Oregon.

I spend much of my day reading and learning new aspects of PS CS3 and Lighroom.2. The books I’m using with this reading curve are Photoshop CS3 one-on-one by Deke McClelland, Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers by Martin Evening and Photoshop Lightroom 2 by Martin Evening. For someone that is just starting to learning a editing software like CS3 I would recommend “one-on-one” by Deke McCelland as he really walks you through the various basic concepts of Photoshop.

The past few months I read a number of books on photography. I have a special interest in black and white digital photography and wanted to share a several really good basic books on the subject. The author is John Beardsworth, “Digital black and white photography” and Advanced Digital Black & White Photography. These two books walk you through the various aspects of B&W digital photography. The author writing is clear and lots of photos to show the concept he is explaining. I found these two books a good starting point on my journey to learn more about B&W.

Another book that I have started to read again is “Welcome to OZ’ by Vincent Versace. This book is a study manual for the workflow of an image in Photoshop. This book ties in very nicely with my study of B&W darkroom techniques. This one of the best books I have acquired this past year. This book is on my recommendation list of top ten photography books of the year.

One of the subscriptions that I started this year was to LensWork. They produce a fine art black and white photography magazine along with an extended computer DVD publication, photography books, photography podcasts, and photography workshops.

http://www.lenswork.com/

I can’t say enough about the benefit you will get by subscribing to the magazine or the DVD. The images and articles are outstanding. The free podcasts can be found on iTunes and feature Brooks Jensen. If you interested in creativity and photography these podcasts will provide food for thought about helping you be a better photographer.

Until next time…

New Software

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I’m migrating over Photoshop CS 3 photographic work. Making the decision to use this new software was a slow and thoughtful process. Using PS CS3 will open up creative options for my work that wasn’t available with earlier software. A number of my photographer pals have been encouraging to make the change and so it has now happened.

Photoshop Elements 5 is very cool software with lots of great add-on features from folks like Graffi. In analyzing what took place in my changing software was primary that I wanted more flexibly than what was available with PSE. I will continue to offer help and ideas about using PSE put my main focus will be Photoshop CS3.

Please contract if you have questions about Photshop Elements 4 or 5. I did not upgrade to the latest version Elements 6. When I find cool a add-ons to PSE 4 or 5 they will be mentioned here on the Blog.

Starting the journey with Photoshop CS3 and sharing my experiences is getting off the ground today. There is going to be learning curve for me as I gain new skills with this software. I’m really excited to reaching out to the next level of my growth as a photographer.

Several of my photographer pals have recommended to two books for CS3. Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Photographers by Martin Evening and Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks Photoshop CS3 by Lynette Kent. I would encourage you to check out these books.

Until next time…

Wonderful world of books...

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Some of you folks know how I like to read books about history, fiction, photography, etc... Two of my favorite fiction writers are Robert Parker and Vince Flynn. Their books are so hard to but down once you get started. Some of you might remember the The Spencer TV series as they were based the a number of Robert Parker novels. One of my favorite pastimes is to read a good adventure mystery. I thought I would shared with you some the books have been reading.

On the top of my list of essays are the books of Brooks Jenson (editor of Lenswork).

Single Exposures -“Random Observations on Photography, Art & Creativity”

Letting Go of the Camera – “Essays on Photography and the Creative Life”

These essays are very powerful observations that get me to think about world of creativity and being a better photographer. http://www.lenswork.com/lwp.htm

Another book that has had a big influence on my photo editing is Welcome to Qz by Vincent Versace. The author is one of America’s great photographers. The book is a cinematic approach t digital photography with Photoshop. This book is not a recipe book of directions for a specific effect in Photoshop. Welcome to Oz get into the how and why of analyzing and developing an images specific workflow. This an amazing book the author is sharing with the reader about approaching and working on an image. Welcome to Oz is a study manual and not the faint of heart. You never regret the purchase of this book.

For those of you that know my interest in the Founding Fathers of America, I would recommend the John Adams and 1776 by David McCullough.

I’m going out tomorrow with my Lens Baby to take some pictures of flowers, bridges, etc. This Lens Baby is a wonderful lens to have in your camera bag. You need to check out the website for more information. I hope to be posting Lens Baby images on this site in the next few weeks. http://lensbabies.com/

I want to thanks all the folks that have kept me in their thoughts and prayers over the months as I been on my journey to defeat cancer. I’ll be off the computer for a week or so as I’m having a surgery in a few days.

I’m so fortunate to have such a wonderful group of family, friends, photographer pals, doctors for support in this journey.

Thank you all for your continued support.

Until next time …

Photography podcast

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I want to share with you a wonderful series of podcasts by Brooks Jensen of LensWork publications. The podcast series is called Lenswork – Photography and the Creative Process. Brooks shares his views on photography, fine art and creativity that come across his desk with these podcasts. To date there are 412 podcasts that can be downloaded to your computer or mp3 player. The style and content each podcast results in a quality product for the listener. This is a five star series in my opinion for a photographer to gain insight into becoming a better creative photographer.

Do yourself a favor and check out LensWork website.

http://www.lenswork.com

To Subscribe via the iTunes Store

Open iTunes
Go to the Store
Search for "LensWork" in the podcast area of the store
Subscribe to the podcast by clicking the SUBSCRIBE button.

Until next time,

JG

How many times have you found the perfect camera bag?

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Recently I had a discussion with several photographers about what is “the perfect camera bag”. After spending time discussing various bags and consuming many cups of coffee, we couldn't agree on the perfect bag for a photographer to use.

Twenty five plus years ago I started on the path to OZ in search of the ultimate camera bag. Many years later, I now have enough bags to open a retail bag store. I would find the perfect bag that answered my photography needs. Then months later I found another amazing bag that would be in my hands and it would go home with me. I think you see know how I ended so many camera bags.

I have extra small, small, medium, large and extra large bags. The bags styles are slingshot, backpack, shoulder, top loading, belt packs, modular harness system, digital cases….

The brands included Lowepro, Tamrac, M-Rock, Domke, Kiesel, etc.

Once I had my new found perfect bag loaded with my equipment, I then would soon run about of space to pack that extra gadget I really needed in the bag. Going a photography shoot meant taking a very piece of equipment I might ever need for the perfect picture. You can see how I needn’t to keep adding to my bag collection.

This went on for a number of years until one day I had an “ah-hah moment”.

I made a list of “stuff” needed to take for specific types of photography shoots. All of a sudden my bag was not overflowing with camera equipment.

Today, I use four types of bags and all the other bags are in the closet.

Domke Mini bag is for my G9 point & shoot camera.
Lowepro Slingshot is my main bag when I’m out and about taking photos.
Domke Backpack and the Lowepro Street and Field Modular harness system are my choices out in the field.
M-Rock (compact) shoulder bag for a D SLR & lens when out and about the city.

The point of this story is I’m still looking for the “perfect bag”. So if you find one let me know...

Until next time...
JG

Comment on: How many times have you found the perfect camera bag?

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:23:09 GMT

I'm still searching for the "perfect" camera bag, and the prefect purse... :)

Comment on: How many times have you found the perfect camera bag?

Thu, 29 May 2008 01:17:10 GMT

John, thanks! This helped! Sent you a PM also on the forum.

Happy New Year Everyone

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Santa was very good to me and left me Adobe Lightroom. This is amazing software for photographers working on their images. The ease of printing in Lightroom is reason enough to purchase the software. You can download a 30 day trial of Lightroom at http://www.adobe.com/ I found Lightroom very intuitive as you work with an image. The manual that comes with the software is only a guide to get you started with program. I bought the book "Photoshop Lightroom Adventure" by Mikkel AaLand. There a number of really good books for this software. I would recommend that you use the software for thirty days before selecting a book for Lightroom.

Check out the site
http://www.lightroomkillertips.com/
Matt Kloskowski is the moderator of this site. There are a number of very cool videos relating to different features of Lightroom.

I'm starting to move into a B&W period with my images. Currently I'm trying new papers and techniques with my B&W images. The mentoring of Diego Conde and the love of restoring old photos has influence me in this direction. I have a section on my site call B&W Gallery where I will be posting my new work.

Until next time,

JG