A new tool for shooting tethered...

If you shoot tethered to your iPad I have a very handy tool that will make your life a bit easier, it's the iKlip from IK Multimedia.

Whenever possible I strongly recommend shooting tethered as it gives you a much better view of your subject. I'm sure I am not the only (or first) photographer who has "chimped" at an image and was sure I had it only to learn after downloading it (and viewing it on a larger screen) that I in fact did not have it.

But setting up a laptop to shoot tethered is not always a viable option, but shooting tethered to an iPad left you with the problem of how (and where) to secure your iPad?

The iKlip is the perfect solution, it will allow you to shoot tethered to your iPad secure in the fact it is not going anywhere.

I treat all of my gear like it's important, because it is and I will not use something unless I have complete confidence in its ability to meet my expectation of keeping my gear safe and the iKlip meets (and exceeds) my high standards.

It gets two thumbs way up. Watch the video below for my "hands on" demonstration.

Now if you have an iPad but don't yet use it to shoot tether, stay tuned as we will soon have a tutorial on that very subject.

If this post was delivered to your inbox then it came without the video portion attached, so you should return to the blog or head directly over to our YouTube channel to watch it.

SAVE THE DATE - MAY 13 2011

Obviously we wouldn't do what we do at Viva if we didn't love all things wedding so we're more than happy to take a short break from planning when a wedding related movie comes out and head over to the local theatre to see what it's all about. This spring, producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, Superbad) and director Paul Feig (creator of Freaks and Geeks) invite you to experience Bridesmaids.

Kristin Wiig leads the cast as Annie, a maid of honor whose life unravels as she leads her best friend, Lilian (Maya Rudolph), and a group of colorful bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper) on a wild ride down the road to matrimony. Annie's life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lilian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.

TO WEB OR NOT TO WEB

The countdown's on! With Will and Kate's wedding only 26 days away, the anticipation is growing and we at Viva know we're not the only ones who can't wait for the big day to arrive.

Knowing that many, like us, would not only be dying to see all the details come together on the 29th but would also be dying to hear about them leading up to the day, St. James Palace launched the Royal Wedding website. The website is the official source of information for anyone interested in the upcoming Royal Wedding and is updated regularly with exclusive content including photo galleries and video.

Wedding websites also know as "wedsites" are nothing new and while not all brides and grooms-to-be choose to create one, they're a great way to keep your guests up to date with the details of your own wedding day. Some like mywedding.com are free while others like wedsite.com offer couples a free 7 day trial with the option to purchase an extension for a small fee if you decide you want to keep your wedsite active.

Viva loves wedding wedsites!! Do you?

My "Tangled" love for Disney..

"Hi, I'm Scott and I'm a Disney addict..."

Yes, I have confessed love for Disney before (like here, here, here, here, and oh ya, here). I bet you're picking up that I've posted about Disney in the past.

I like their parks. I like there movies.

Some of the movies are entertaining and fun but every once and awhile there is one that I absolutely LOVE.

For some reason we did not make it to see Tangled when it was in theaters so we got it this week to watch on our "pizza and a movie" Friday night.

It is one of the best Disney movies I have EVER seen, it harkens back to movies like "Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and The Beast" then mix in a little stunning Pixar animation and you have Tangled.

If you haven't seen it, please do, and you may want to buy it (instead of renting) because I promise you will watch this move again and again.

Below is a Tangled trailer, enjoy!

And the winner is!...

Okay, I am done shoveling our April fools snow (and whining), so let's announce our contest winner.

The latest contest winner, randomly selected from among all those who entered our "Shiny" contest using a program called "The Hat", who will get these goodies:

Prize 1. The two DVD set "Digital WakeUp Call" from David Ziser. I don't think anyone has combined photography AND business as well as David, and he is the most prolific blogger on the surface of the earth and the entries are packed with useful information (no fluff).


Prize 2. "Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers" from Scott Kelby.

Scott Kelby trains tens of thousands of professional photographers every year on how to use Photoshop, and almost without exception they have the same questions, the same problems, and the same challenges—and that’s exactly what Shares with you in this book.


Prize 3. The (really) good folks over at IGT America will be donating a print, but not just any print, they are going to take an image from you the winner (an image of your choosing) and give you back a 16 x 20 Metal Print!


is...... Dave! Here is his winning shot:



Congratulation to Dave and a BIG thank you to everyone who took the time to enter their great images.

Dave, email me with your contact details (snail mail) and I will get your prizes out to you.

Another snowstorm... REALLY?!...

Unfunny Aprils fools... very unfunny.

5am, I'm making my coffee and feel an all too familiar rumbling that gets stronger and stronger... then I see it, the big orange behemoth passing by my kitchen window with its lights flashing... and.. and... THE SNOWPLOW DOWN.

We had completed our "seasonal transition", putting the shovels back in the garage, mittens, hats, and boots packed away and why shouldn't we, it's "officially" been spring for some time now!

A quick check and the news let's me know school has been cancelled (yeah), everything will be closed, so we are hunkered down to weather yet another snowstorm.

wa, wa, wa, wa...

I will announce our contest winner as soon as I finish shoveling.

:)

Here are a couple images of the orange behemoth, went a little over the edge with processing (but it was fun), clicking on any image will open it larger and in a new window (not sure why you'd want to).

Whoop, whoop, whoop!!....

Now, you need to have a mental picture of me singing this post (badly) while doing the cabbage patch dance (again, badly), 'cuzz I'm a happy guy.

Yesterday we passed the 1,000 subscriber mark on the Weekly Photo Tips YouTube Channel (with over 140,000 views)!

But I have to give credit where credit is do, it's my friend Mark who does everything (and I do mean everything) that makes these videos possible. He does the audio, the filming, the editing, and final production of all our videos. So thank you Mark.

Me, well... I'm just the eye candy in front of the camera.

;)

And I want to thank you for making Weekly Photo Tips the success it is.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.