Tuesday, November 30, 2010

WEDDING DRESS WEDNESDAY

With so many gorgeous dresses making up the Blush line by Jim Hjelm, we couldn't narrow it down to just one for this month's Wedding Dress Wednesday feature so... we thought we'd tease you with a link to the Fall 2010 collection instead.

Fall 2010 by Jim Hjelm Blush

And it gets better. When you're done drooling over these fabulous dresses and are left sitting there wondering how to get your hands on one, With Love Bridal Boutique in Stittsville comes to the rescue! With Love is hosting the Blush by Jim Hjelm trunk show from December 3rd until the 11th. For two weeks only the entire 2010 Fall collection will be in store for you to see first hand. Don't miss out on this exclusive opportunity!

To set up an appointment contact With Love Bridal Boutique via email at info@withlovebridalboutique.ca or by phone at 613-435-5542.

Armageddon


























Photographer: Anirudh khusape

Do you all know what is Armageddon?
Armageddon means the End,the end of the world either by natural or man made factors.You all might be familiar with the Mayans Calendar that predicted "The world would end by 21st December 2010" well lets see! Guys this is December rolf!.Different cultures,religions across the globe have predicted different dates of Armageddon,based on planetary movements and calenders.


If you liked the post you might like Honey Bee 

Freedom!

Freedom
Photographer: Hakeem

This photo refreshes my childhood memories filled with joys and a lot of Pranks.Childhood days are the most beautiful and memorable ones in everyone's life.There are some moments which we can never forget and will cherish all our life.But as time passes our life becomes tough and Very busy.we should always try that our each day is full of good memories.and enjoy life at the fullest.Because,
You might also like Working outdoors

Enjoying Sunset

Sunset

Photographer: Shaji philip

This beautiful picture of the sunset has been taken by my uncle shaji philip.He has a passion for photography from his childhood days and would never mind clicking day to day scenes that would catch his attention.in my point of view i would consider this as a professional picture.this picture was shot when we had gone for a picnic.this beach is the "Juhu beach" one of the most famous and commonly visited beaches in mumbai.the sunset would be the most beautiful sight of this beach and many families in (Bombay)Mumbai would surely want to watch this sight in real.
If you  liked this beautiful sunset,you might also like
Anti Gravity .  
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Monday, November 29, 2010

Zack Arias OneLight Workshop review...


I can save you the time of reading this review and tell you straight up that the OneLight Workshop DVD from Zack Arias is number one on the list of things you should own of you want to learn photography. There is no close second, this is by far the leader of the pack.

Which relly only leaves you two choices, you can head over and buy the OneLight DVD right now, or take a few minutes to read this and THEN head over to buy it.

Before I slipped the first DVD into the machine I already new I was a HUGE Zack Arias fan, because unlike many folks I read covers, inserts, and anything else that comes with the DVD and as I came to the end of the insert in the OneLight DVD case I read the following:

"My goal with the DVD is to give you a solid foundation of how light works and how to manipulate it... but I also want to be a voice in your life that encourages you to take care of your family FIRST. Put away your credit cards, turn off your computer, and enjoy the life this industry affords us. Photography will require everything of you if you let it. Even your family. Don't let it take your family."

I knew right then it did not matter how good (or bad) the DVD was, I could not respect Zack any more than I did right then.


The DVD started out great and ended the same way.

Now, for the review.

Zack says in the very beginning that if you take a shot thinking "I can fix that in Photoshop" that "you need to slap yourself as hard as you can in the head because you are being lazy and mediocre" and I could not agree more.

Everything in this workshop DVD is taught (and learned) in manual mode on both the camera and the flash, which means ALL of the thinking will be done by you, NOT your gear.

Fear not, there is no math involved.

The first "Chapter" starts with explaining the five variables of exposure:

1. Shutter speed

2. Aperture

3. Flash Power

4. Flash to subject distance

5. ISO

This is then followed by one of the best demonstrations I have ever seen of how shutter speed (which controls ambient exposure) impacts your image by including or excluding ambient light.

Zack then moves through the remaining 4 exposure variables with equally impressive demonstrations.

Once we have been given what we need to know about exposure Zack walks us through a basic lighting gear talk (stands, hot shoes, cold shoes, sync cords, triggers, modifiers, and lights), what we need to know about the gear we can use in the studio and on the road to "get the light right".

I found every bit of this interesting, informative, and essential to know before you ever touch the camera.

Then the real fun begins, Zack then takes us into the studio where we start applying all of the "stuff" that came before.

But before he starts shooting he talks about how to act as a professional photographer with your clients, especially when it comes to female clients.

When he does start using the camera Zack starts by shooting images that suck, by using on camera flash (with and with flash modifiers). Yup, images with hard, harsh shadows and flat subjects.

He then start shooting with off camera flash and Zack made them suck too... just so he could show us how we would go about fixing them.

Then for the next several hours we are taken to (and through) different shooting scenarios, inside and out, daylight (learn how to over power it) and night, each with it's own set of difficulties to overcome and Zack shows us how to shoot it correctly so that the shot is great "in camera".

Even something simple like an electrical outlet on the studio wall, it would be a quick and simple fix in Photoshop but Zack shows us how to work around that too. He covers them all, from big to little and everything in-between.

Before this DVD I never would have thought of shooting a subject with the umbrella closed around my flash, But I would now.

There are a ton of new things I am thinking now and you will be too, I promise. There is also so much more in this workshop DVD than I can cover here (like post production in Lightroom and Photoshop), but know that if you buy this you'll be getting one phenomenal educational opportunity.

The OneLight DVD should be on the top of your Christmas list, email it to your friends and family, leave every computer browser window opened to the order page, or if you want to be less subtle ask every day "did you order my OneLight DVD yet?".

Do whatever it takes.

Here is a 7 minute video montage from the 2 DVD worskhop. Enjoy.


Caught while Mating!

butterfly mating
Photographer: Hakeem


Pheromones play an important role.What is Pheromones? 
They are nothing but a natural odor given off by the butterfly(even humans are no differnt) to attact opposite sex.Pheromones are found in the female butterfly  and it acts as a perfume to attract the male butterfly.The odor is so strong that male butterflies can smell these pheromones up to a mile away.There are some other species of butterflies that have even more concentrated scent that allows the male butterfly to find his mate even at very greater distance.

Mating Process
The male butterfly siezes the female butterfly by her abdomen during mating.they are joined end to end in order to mate.this position allows the male butterfly to inject sperm packet called spermatorphore in the cavity in female butterfly's body.the cavity allows to store the sperm until she is ready to lay her eggs.The sperm then fertilize each egg as it passes down the female egg-laying tube.

If you liked this post,you will surely love Grasshopper Join our facebook fan page


Sunday, November 28, 2010

Beach

Beach


Photographer : Sidharth menon

A cool shot ,if you liked this you will like this too Ripples. Feel free to post your comments and suggestion.we are happy to hear from you always.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Big Butterfly (Attacus atlas)













Photographer:Hakeem

Attacus atlas this moth is  found in the tropical and subtropical forests of Southeast Asia. Their bodies are hairy and disproportionately small compared to their wings. Male Atlas moths are distinguished from females by their smaller size, more tapered wings, and larger, bushier antennae.Neither sex possess fully formed mouthparts and therefore do not feed; throughout their 1–2-week adult life they survive entirely on larval fat reserves that they build up while they are caterpillars. Isn't it amazing?
You will love this post too Nature

Unusual places

Photographer : Sidharth menon

Sidharth with his bike,shooting at unusual places.if  you liked  this pic ,you will surely love this one Beautiful Sunset

Black Friday memory specials!

The memory listed below are on sale at Adorama and every single one of them comes with free shipping!

SanDisk 4GB Ultra Compact Flash Memory Card with 30MB/SEC Speed
Regular Price $27.95 - Sale Price $17.95


SanDisk 4GB Extreme III Secure Digital (SDHC) Memory Card
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Lexar 16GB Platinum II Memory Stick Pro Duo Memory Card
Regular Price $47.95 - Sale Price $27.95


Lexar 8GB Professional 400x CompactFlash Card
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Lexar 16GB Professional 400x CompactFlash Card
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Two must watch shows on Photography...

Over the next several days (depending in where you live) PBS will be airing two very interesting shows on photography.

From the past: "Documenting the Face of America" brings to life the remarkable stories behind the legendary group of New Deal-sponsored photographers who traversed the country in the 1930s and early 1940s and created what has become a national treasure.

It was the first time Americans saw each other’s faces and witnessed what life was like across the nation: north to south, east to west, rich and poor, black and white.

The film explores the personal vision and the struggles experienced by photographers who created some of the most iconic images in history. Still recognized today, Dorothea Lange’s haunting photograph of the “Migrant Mother” remains one of the most famous images of all time.


From the Present: "The President's Photographer" tags along with the president's chief photographer, Pete Souza, who is never far behind President Obama.

This National Geographic Special, gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the everyday workings of the American presidency as we follow Souza, offering a chance to see what it's like to cover the most powerful man in the world, while attempting to capture for history. It also provides us a history of the presidential photographers who have come before him.

I have seen both of these shows (more than one) and give them both two thumbs way up, so check your local listings, grab a piece of leftover Thanksgiving pie, and enjoy the shows.



Thursday, November 25, 2010

Bees at work


Photographer: Thomas philip
Camera: Nikon Coolpix P80
Shutter Speed 1/125sec
Aperture f/8.0

Location: Karjat, Kondana

If you liked this pic then you will love this one for sure Unique flower

Happy Thanksgiving...


I hope that today (and every day) you are surrounded by those you love, that you feel blessed, rich in spirit, and that you carry hope and charity in your heart.

There are many of you who are struggling and I hope even more for you... that people reach out to support and comfort you, that your burdens become lighter, that you never feel alone, and I pray that in the days to come you can worry less, love more, and that when strangers see you on the street they wonder what you are smiling about.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Dinner...



Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mathapoovu (regional name)


Photographer: Shaji Philip


Again a beautiful shot.but sorry guys i don't know its English name.Its called Mathapoovu in Malayalam (kerala).If anyone of you know its name,please comment.
                                    CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO VIEW FULL SCREEN


If you liked this photo,then you will love this one for sure A COCK lol 

If you want to do something really moving...


Saturday December 4th is Help-Portrait Day.

The premise is quite simple:

1. Find someone in need

2. Take their portrait

3. Print their portrait

4. Give them their portrait

And do it all for free.

As I write this the memories from last year come rushing back, it was moving, emotional, and one of the most gratifying things I have done in the last 12 months.

One story from last year... a man brought his son in for a portrait and after we handed him the print he stared at it for awhile smiling, he then shook our hands and thanked us (repeatedly), explaining that this was going to be a Christmas gift for his wife... the only gift he was able to give her.

You can read our entire post from last year here.

If you are interested in getting involved by helping out at an event in your area (or starting one) you can get the details here.

Let me leave you with a short 2 minute video our our humble Help-Portrait day.

Subscribers will need to return to the blog or head directly over to our YouTube channel to watch it.


Here are a couple images...

Here are a couple shots from this past Monday night at the Maine Photographer Coalition.

Mark your calendar for the next meeting scheduled for January 10 (2011) and you will want to bring your laptop as the evenings instruction will be (hands-on) Lightroom workflow.

Hope your face is in next months picture!




Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Color management and monitor calibration...

I know, I know, when you start talking about color management and/or monitor calibration peoples eyes glaze over and they start looking for the nearest exit (or the closest ledge from which to jump).

But it is such an important part of photography workflow that if you ignore it, it will surely come back to bite you in the butt.

So... if you would be happy with Stevie Wonder editing your images you can stop right here, otherwise please read on.

Here are a couple educational/informational resources to check out:

1. Last night Earle Christie did a great presentation/Q&A at the Maine Photographer Coalition and an online article he wrote on the subject "Predictable Color"is a must read.

2. If you want to delve even deeper into the subject then head over to Digital Dog and you'll feed your need to knowledge.

3. Monitor calibration (back to Stevie) - if you are editing your images on an un-calibrated monitor it's like putting on rose colored glasses before you start editing your images, which makes it a huge exercise in futility, because I don't know anybody who can make precise (and accurate) color corrections and adjustments when they're not even looking at the real colors!

There are a handful of really good tools out there to help you calibrate your monitor and after looking at the different options I settled on what I think is the best and easiest calibration tools available, the Spyder3Elite from DataColor.

I could ramble on about why I like this product more than any other, but you can take a quick tour of it here and see how it would fit into your workflow.

If you think I am overstating the importance of monitor calibration then don't take my word for it, take the word of someone many believe to be one of the finest photographers of our day, Vincent Versace.

Below is an audio excerpt from an interview he did with PopPhoto.com, and is his response to the question about the importance of calibrating your monitor (it's only 4 minutes long and worth every second of listening):


Vincent Versace on monitor calibration


Monday, November 22, 2010

Let the (snow) games begin!...

Watching the weather this morning I saw that they were calling for snow which made me just a little sad (and utter an unprintable word or two).

Not that there is much snow coming, it just seems way too early for this to be starting.

I think I'll refill my coffee and move just a little closer to the stove.



Sunday, November 21, 2010

Sorry for such a late notice...


This post is for local photographers - there will be a meeting tomorrow evening (Monday November 22) of the Maine Photographer Coalition which will be holding its inaugural meeting at the studio of Stacey Kane (134 Black Point Road Scarborough, ME).

Folks will be gathering for the "meet and greet" portion of the evening which starts at 7 with the "formal" meeting starting at 7:30.

The talented Earl Christie will be speaking/instructing the group on color management.

All are welcome and the meeting is free but for planning purposes RSVP is a must (just follow this link).

Hope to see you there!



I'm with you



















Photographer : Jirah Rith Bernales Fermin
Camera : Sony DSLR-A330.


Jirah Rith Bernales Fermin took this photo at SPD Photoshoot.when she noticed these kids together what really caught her attention was the affectionate gestures of the girl towards the boy. (may be Siblings ).This photo shows us that love 
does exist. They are in their own world,happy with whatever they have .sharing and caring for each other.Now a days a scene like this is very rare.In Our busy life we forget the importance of love ,sharing and caring.i have hardly noticed such close relation of friendship or bro-sis relationship.This photo gives us a very positive message Thanks Jirah for such a beautiful pic.


Saturday, November 20, 2010

Sexy Legs


Camera: Sony DSLR-A330.

Well,By looking at the thumbnail (on the main page) you might be wondering,"why he is calling this legs as sexy",is he out of his mind?but now as you see it in full size.what do you think? Ain't those legs sexy?I wonder how the photog. managed to click.lol ;) anyway a cool shot.i hope you guys will like it.If you liked this then you would definitely love this one Kumarakarom- Kerala

The Vintage Car


Camera : Sony Alpha DSLR 

If you liked this ,you might also like "The butterfly"            


Friday, November 19, 2010

What is this?


This Photo is taken by Thomas philipAnd You may also like Sunset

Beautiful Flower

Flower












 Trying to figure out which flower is this.people who know please comment.I love the beauty and peaceful background.

Our review of the new LumiQuest LTp...

Every time you think it can't get any better it does. LumiQuest recently released its latest small flash modifier, the SoftBox LTp, so named because it will just fit into a laptop pocket of a camera backpack.

Here are two sample images I took (of a project from Emma when she was a wee girl), they were both shot with the exact same camera and flash settings with both on stands.

The first image was shot with the Stofen style light modifier that come with the flash (a Nikon SB-800), the second image was shot with the new SoftBox LTp.

You notice right away that the light with the LTp is a much softer, more even light, and if you look closer you'll notice that the light wraps nicely around "greenie" as it moves towards the back of the subject.

Clicking on either image will open them larger and in a new window for better examination.




Below is the video portion of this review, you subscribers will need to return to the blog or head directly to our YouTube channel to watch the video as they STILL are not pushed through with your subscriptions.

One thing everyone can agree on, I was not built for Hi Def.

;)

Enjoy.



Thursday, November 18, 2010

Butterfly

The Curious case of Cute kitten

cute kitten

Just like the Curious case of  "Benjamin Button" Picxy Professional Photography presents "The Curious case of the Cute Kitten" LoL  a unique way to capture the kitten rather than the usual way.The interesting part is the kitten starring at the camera.the background is too good.Cheers to the Photog.well done siddharth.If you liked this pic then  you may also like Coconut Tree

Dragonfly

Rubber Fly

Insect

Thomas philip

A new Lightroom resource...


Well, it's new to me.

While sucking down my mega-gulp coffee this morning I came across a site by Wade Heninger and it's obvious he LOVES Lightroom.

Part of that love is demonstrated through his "Lightroom Tuesday" in which he compiles a ton of relevant and useful links from all over the web representing the best in Lightroom education.

Putting together such a large list of useful resources takes a great deal of time and effort (I know because I've done it too, you go through a bunch of stinkers looking for the diamonds) so folks would be wise to take advantage of this Herculean effort by Wade because he's done us a great service (and saved us hours of online searching and reading)

And as if that isn't enough he also maintains a Lightroom Q&A where you can not only ask your question but read the questions (and answers) of others.

Reading his blog I learned that he was one of the unfortunate souls that was on the Carnival cruise ship that floated aimlessly off the coast of Mexico last week, which alone makes him waaaaaay more interesting than me.

When you get done checking out Wades blog you will want to peruse his portfolio as well.

(click on either image to view larger in a new window)


Tuesday, November 16, 2010

And the "Sessions with JoeyL" winner is...

Before I announce the winner of our "Sessions With JoeyL" contest let me say (actually write) a few things.

First, this has been our most successful contest ever, we have had more entrants, comments, and images submitted than ever before! Thank you all for making this blog what it is.

Second, this contest was truly random. The name of each person who entered was dropped into a program called "The Hat" which was used to randomly pick the winners name. If a person entered the contest more than once, their name was dropped "into the hat" to match the number of times they entered.

Third, I strongly recommend that everyone go take a look at the images that have been uploaded to our Flickr group, you'll see some really good stuff.

Fourth (and last), despite the contest being random I had strong inclination on who the winner might be, though we had hundreds (and hundreds) of entries there was one person who was the most prolific. They entered the contest well over 50 times! Going waaaay back in the archives (a couple years) to read and leave a comment, and the comments weren't frivolous, they were thoughtful and insightful (and greatly appreciated).

So, I have dragged this out long enough.... the winner is.... HALF BLIND!

Congratulations. If you send me an email I will forward it to Joey Lawrence and he in turn will email you the download link for "Sessions".

Below are a few more of Half Blind's images, be sure to check out his Flickr stream.

Big, BIG announcement coming next week for our Christmas giveaway, so stay tuned.

Thank you everyone.

(click on any of the images to view larger and in a new window)







Monday, November 15, 2010

Odds and ends... bits and pieces...

Here are few very useful websites and resources that you good people will find helpful and/or interesting.

1. Lighten Up and Shoot is a great instructional site if you are looking to master exposure. They have a ton of tutorials not the least of which include the 5 variables of flash exposure, once you visited the site I am sure you will want to bookmark it.

2. I have harped on more than one occasion about the importance of backing up your images and one of the things you need to do is have a backup someplace other than on your desk, well Humyo.com is giving away 10GB of online storage, for FREE.

3. You can watch 5 short videos (3-10 minutes) on using flash, a combination of flash and natural light, and just natural light from photographer Jody Dole, check them out here.

4. You have until midnight tonight to enter our "Sessions with JoeyL" giveaway. The winner will be announced tomorrow (11/16/10). See ya then.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Images from today...

Here are a few shots from today... click on any image to view it larger and in a new window.