Join our Flickr spring assignment...

Here are three images that show spring is upon us here in Maine.

My hope is that you too will post images that show spring around your house over at the Weekly Photo Tips Flickr group.

Sign one - buds on the lilac bushes sprinkled throughout our yard.


Sign two - the day lilies breaking through the ground around our foundation.


Sign three - my dogs get new collars, here is Gracie modeling her new pink number.

VIVA'S BOOK CLUB - WEDDINGS BY TARA GUERARD

Since opening the doors of Soiree by Tara Guerard in Charleston South Carolina over a decade ago, Tara has been noted as a leading arbiter of entertaining and style. She was selected as a Top 25 Trendsetter by Modern Bride Magazine and Soiree's work has been featured by a wide range of media including InStyle Weddings, Town & Country Weddings, and Martha Stewart Weddings.

In her latest book Weddings By Tara Guerard (January 2010), Tara takes you on a guided tour through twelve dream weddings and shares the tools and tricks of the trade from over a decade in the industry. The book is filled with ideas and inspiration, and each chapter overflows with beautiful photography and details to incorporate into your own wedding.

Here are a few tips from Tara for a successful Soirée:

▪ Hire a great photographer. You want someone who can capture the ambiance, the details and the memories.

▪ Choose colors and foods that reflect a time of year.

▪ Never do a seated dinner around a dance floor. Define each space - one area for cocktails, one for dinner, and another for dancing.

▪ Let your personalities show through at your reception.
▪ Try a 4X4 foot table for 8 - it's a guarantee that people will talk to each other.
▪ Offer guests a signature drink as a welcome. It is a personal detail and prevents that initial backup at the bar.
▪ For outdoor weddings, always remember... if you don't have a backup plan IT WILL RAIN!

FREE Photoshop actions from V Gallery....

For the next week (through March 31st) you can get V Gallery's Action Pack 1 for FREE!

Action Pack 1, which usually sells for $69, has 25 time-saving Photoshop actions that will improve your digital workflow and enhance your images.

And if that isn't enough V Gallery is including one additional action from Action Packs 2 & 3.

Stop by this page if you would like to see some before and after samples.

The video below will give you a good idea of what actions are included and how they are used and (of course) if you are a subscriber you will need to return to Weekly Photo Tips to watch the video or had over to Vimeo.

Lightroom and royalty...

If you use Adobe Lightroom, either the current version (2.x) or the Beta (3) a great resource is Victoria Bampton, the "Lightroom Queen".

She offers a ton of free resources like "what's new in Lightroom 3" and a thorough comparison between Lightroom 2 and 3 and Lightroom Keyboard Shortcuts (as a free download).

Victoria also offers a "Missing Lightroom FAQ's" series (for all versions of Lightroom) for sale in eBook form.

Se be sure to add the Lightroom Queen as one of your Lightroom resources.

BAKE ME A CUPCAKE

Who knew that when the cupcake craze hit Ottawa a few years back it would turn out to be more than just a passing fad lasting a season or two at best. Whether they're replacing the traditional cake at your wedding or simply being served as part of the late night buffet, cupcakes are here to stay.

The cupcake has really evolved over time. From the mouth watering choices in flavours of cake and icing to the many creative ways to decorate and display them, there's no such thing as the "standard" cupcake anymore.

Along with the evolution of the cupcake is the evolution of places you can now get them. The Ottawa area is full of great shops that create these yummy treats!! Here are just a few - The Cupcake Lounge, The Flour Shoppe, The Girl With The Most Cake, Isobels, Little Cakes and The Lush Cake.

Enjoy!!

"Captured By The Light" Re-Broadcast...

For those of you who missed (or just couldn't schedule) the webinar from David Ziser "Captured By The Light" on March 3rd you're in luck, David has posted it on Viddler.

"Captured By The Light" is 2 hours of :

• on-location lighting setups

• posing

• lens selections

• off camera flash

...and more.

So make some popcorn, sit back, and watch a video filled with learning moments.

There were special offers provided by the webinars sponsors for the original broadcast and those specials are still available.

Topaz Adjust 4 is now available...

You may remember our review of Topaz Adjust version 3, we liked it then and we like it even more now.

Usually when you buy software you get the incremental upgrades for free, but a full version release will cost you.

Well, Topaz Labs has released a full version upgrade (from version 3 to 4) and if you are a version 3 owner, you can download and upgrade to version 4 FREE.

How cool is that?

What is new in version 4 is the interface, more default image options, and more fine tuning control.

What isn't new is that is the great output you will get.

Don't take my word for it, you can check out what Scott Kelby had to say about Topaz Adjust.

Below are a couple sample images, shot by my friend (and partner Mark) during a commercial shoot at a marble company. These are the kind of images that work best with Topaz Adjust (high key, back lit) to make a more interesting shot.

The background image is well lit, well constructed, but the Topaz Labs Photoshop plugin just adds a very cool "look" to the foreground image.

Click on either image to view larger and in a new screen.