You guys take great pictures...

Not sure if many of you wander over to the Weekly Photo Tips Flickr group but you really should as folks upload some pretty darn good images over there.

If you would like to join our Flickr group and share some of your images ('cuz we'd love to see them) you can get instructions on how to join here.

In the mean time take a look at these beauties.

And to those of you who have joined, thanks for sharing your work.

(clicking on any image will open it larger and in a new window)

Not your mothers Reynolds Wrap...

Rosco has recently come with "PhotoFoil", it's a smaller and more convenient version of the old standby CineFoil.

It comes in 10 foot rolls and you can get it either 12 or 24 inches wide.

Chances are good this is one of those products you will only buy once as it's very heavy duty and can be used over and over again.

It's very versatile and can be used in a lot of different applications, you can follow this link to see how I used to to kill a reflective surface while shooting some products.

In the example below I use PhotoFoil to turn an Westcott Apollo softbox into a strip light.

The first image is just a "standard" one light portrait, in it the subject is pretty evenly lit.



In the example below I covered the outer thirds of the Westcott Apollo with PhotoFoil leaving just a center strip exposed, you can see that the subjects face is well lit but the light falls off quickly as you move to either side of center (of her face).



I first started using Cine/PhotoFoil several years ago and still have every piece I have pulled off the roll, this stuff just doesn't wear out!

Below is a quick video, if you're a subscriber you will need to return to the blog or head directly over to our YouTube channel to watch it.

A Father's Day thought...

(this is a post from a Father's Day past)

A few months back, just before I turned 52, I was having lunch with my friend Bob. Bob and I have lunch every Thursday and I always enjoy our conversations as he is a thoughtful, insightful man.

When Bob talks, I listen.

At this particular lunch I was telling Bob about my dad, who left when I was 6, and how it had been decades since I saw him last.

That on my 40th birthday a card and letter arrived from my dad telling me of his regrets, that a lot of water had passed under the bridge, and that he would love to visit. Reading his words didn’t provoke any emotions, the anger of him leaving us had long since gone, but I didn’t feel the need for a reunion either. The letter went into a drawer and I never replied.

Bob asked why; I told him that “at this point in my life I didn’t feel the need for father”. Bob nodded thoughtfully then responded, “ya, but maybe he has the need for a son”.

It was like I had been struck by lighting. I got it.

I found out where my dad was living and made arrangements to go see him.

He died before I got there.

Regrets don’t come from the things we do, sure there are things we might not do again, but we learn from them as there was a lesson in there somewhere for us.

The true regret comes from the things we don’t do.

You too may be at a point in your life where you don’t feel the need for a father, but maybe your dad needs you.

Something to think about.

Happy Father's Day dad.

(dad & me)

Check out this DIY beauty dish!...

First, credit where credit is due, I saw this posted on Strobist today and thought that it was so darn brilliant I wanted to make sure as many people as possible knew about it.

It is people like Shibu that I think are so brilliant with their "out of the box" thinking and this is (I think) the best DIY beauty dish I have seen (much better than mine).

You will know to go check out the details of the construction to understand what I am about to say, but the thinking behind "crinkling" of the foil tape just about knocked me over.

So, go check it out!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Here's your chance at $50,000...

But you have just 4 1/2 days to claim your money.

Here are the details:

"PDN and Artists Wanted invite you to participate in the annual One Life Photography Competition. This worldwide search for photography seeks to illuminate your perspective: what you love, your travels, or anything that reflects your world and experience. Select your best work, submit your photos easily online and have a chance at life-changing awards."

All the details can be found right here.

Funny (that timing thing again), because I was going to post about Lou Jones today, he is (I think) one of the best "street" photographers in the world and he recently posted "31 Street Photography Tips and Tricks" which will come in quite handy when you enter the above contest. You'll find part 1 here and part 2 here.



I'm off to format some memory cards and hit the streets... I hope to see you out there.



Update: I just came across a couple more post on street photography from Chris Osburn that I thought you would find useful, part one is here, part two here.

You'll be mad if you miss out on this...

I have had the pleasure of beta testing a new product that is as close to Lightroom as you can get and when the beta testing is over I'm going to get this for free.

You can too!

If you sign up for PhotoDirector, download the beta (give it a quick spin), and fill out a short survey, then you too will get the full blown package when it's released next month.

There isn't enough room here to talk about all the cool features available in PhotoDirector, but you can read all about it online here (don't fret, there are more pictures than words as well as GREAT examples of what the features will do).

There is already almost 200,000 presets that you can download (yes, for free) or you can easily create your own.

I am not sure how much longer the beta will be open but jump over there right now and sign up before it's too late. Yes I know there are some very good free image editing software packages out there, but none of them (and most of the pay options) can't hold a candle to PhotoDirector.

The image below will show you some of the editng menu options that are available, to view it larger (so you can actually read it) simply click on it. The image will open full size in a new window.