Wednesday, 31 March 2010

BetterPhoto's 14th Anniversary Celebration


Hi ,

This month marks BetterPhoto's 14th Anniversary and we're celebrating in a big way with new events and ways to recognize our valued members - YOU!

We're highlighting our longtime members who have made BetterPhoto the thriving online photography community we are today. With over 5 million unique visitors a year, we feel sharing that exposure with you is the best thank you gift!

We'll continue to highlight our members with a growing Members Spotlight page, showcasing both outstanding photographers and members who are making a difference with their photography.

Also, we've been having fun with video as we get ready to use it as a tool to help you. If you haven't seen it yet, check out this fun video card to you:

Happy Anniversary BetterPhoto.com

Read on to learn what exciting developments are coming your way:
MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS

Randy Frank

Randy has been a BetterPhoto member since 1999. As Randy put it, "There are two kinds of photographs. One shows only what you look like. The other shows who you are".

Read More >>

Guy Biechele

Guy has been an active member of BetterPhoto since 2000. You can most likely find Guy photographing outdoors.

Read More >>


Jeanne Loveall

Jeanne has been a star student with 11 BetterPhoto courses since 2000! Jeanne considers her photography a fun, as well as an ever-learning, engaging hobby.

Read More >>

Kathleen Parker

Kathleen has been a very active member of BetterPhoto since 2000. Living in New Orleans, Kathleen's images show how she loves "capturing people's essence and vibrancy".

Read More >>

Patricia Daley

Since joining BetterPhoto in 2000, Patricia has taken 10 online courses. As Patricia says, "being a photographer has given me a new eye for things around me.

Read More >>

Lorelei Janzen

Lorelei joined BetterPhoto in 2000 and has celebrated an abundance of recognition in our online contest.

Read More >>

Mary McGrath

Mary is a photojournalist who contributes to newspapers, magazines, websites and has been published in a number of books. Mary has been with BetterPhoto since 2000.

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Donna Moratelli

Donna has been a BetterPhoto member since 2000. Donna has taken 8 online courses and works as a stock photographer located in Central New Jersey, specializing in creative graphic photography.

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Richard Jackson

Richard has been a member of BetterPhoto since 2000. Richard's interest in photography lies in the realm of nature and landscape.

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Susan Patton

Susan has taken 5 courses since 2004 and has been an active participant with her other friends from BetterPhoto at the BetterPhoto Summit events.

Read More >>

More Member Spotlights

Member	 Spotlights Masterpiece Membership Spotlights


COMING SOON:
BetterPhoto Basics by Jim Miotke

BetterPhoto Basics


Written by Jim in a light, approachable tone, packed with helpful hints, and illustrated with more than 150 gorgeous color photographs from both Jim and BetterPhoto members!



Course Corner: Meet Celia



Celia has been offering course advice to our students for over 3 years.

"I love talking with our customers on the phone, so now I will be focusing my efforts toward sales of our wonderful courses, websites and new products, which are currently in the works!"

Student Danielle says:
"...awesome, you rock, thank you! This is the best customer service I think I have ever gotten. A complex request that was quickly and perfectly executed -- nice!"

Call Celia toll free: 1-888-927-9992

Happy Anniversary BetterPhoto!



BP is my Cup of Tea...
© Susana Heide - Thiessen
TEAM BETTERPHOTO BLOG


Team BetterPhoto is going to the Blogs! We're sharing everything from personal stories and photo tips, to event announcements and technology updates.

Jim Miotke, President
Follow BetterPhotoJim: Twitter, Facebook, Jim.betterphoto.com

Did you know that BetterPhotoJim is hitting the road and coming to a city near you? Save your seat today for:

Master the Mindset
1-Day Event with BetterPhotoJim




Team BetterPhoto From Team BetterPhoto - we thank you for 14 Fantastic Years - the best is yet to come!

Jim Miotke
President, BetterPhoto.com, Inc. ®

Have a pro @ your side - online, anytime!
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BetterPhoto.com is the worldwide leader in online photography education, offering an approachable resource for photographers who want to improve their skills, share their photos, and learn more about the art and technique of photography.

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Photo of the Day #2022 - Dawn's Surprise by David Pearce

#2022

March, 31, 2010 
PHOTO OF THE DAY



Jim Miotke
President, BetterPhoto.com, Inc. ®
BetterphotoJim.com   Twitter   Blog

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HAVE A PRO AT YOUR SIDE - ONLINE, ANYTIME!
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Tuesday, 30 March 2010

SnapShot #466 - Courses Start Next Week! Color Control Workflow in Lightroom; QnA

 
The weekly newsletter on the art of photography from
 
Monday, March 29, 2010
IN THIS ISSUE
Featured Gallery
Welcome Note
This Week's Tip
Updates From BetterPhoto
Q&A 1: Photo Enhanceme...
Q&A 2: Framing Large P...


TESTIMONIAL OF THE WEEK
"I was a little uneasy about taking an online class, but I am very glad I did. I really enjoyed the commitment it required. I learned more than I bargained for!" -Crista Holland, student in Introduction to Your Canon Flash



B&H NOW A CONTEST SPONSOR!
BetterPhoto's monthly photography contest is one of the many joys of membership!


MAKE GIFT SHOPPING A SNAP!
Treat yourself to an easy gift-buying experience, while also giving your favorite photographer something really special! Get a BetterPhoto Gift Card.

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN SNAPSHOT
Get word of your product or service out to a rapidly growing list of over 75596 serious photographers.
Learn More...

THIS WEEK'S TIP
Want to Take Better Photos? Don't Forget Your Camera!
Here's some simple yet often overlooked advice: Carry your camera everywhere! That's really what separates casual snapshooters from serious shooters. See Kerry Drager's Team BetterPhoto blog here...


   
Featured Gallery
Dancing Sunbeams
© - Randall J. Scholten

Welcome to the 466th issue of SnapShot!
Hello,

As we wrap up one outstanding month at BetterPhoto, we are looking forward to embarking on another fine one! Our April session of 4-week online courses will be fast, fun, to the point, and kicking off on April 7th. Too soon? Not long enough? :) See our May 5th schedule of 8-week classes. ... In this issue of SnapShot, don't miss Rob Sheppard's excellent feature: "Adobe Lightroom Tutorial: Color Control Workflow". ... That's it for now. Have fun with your photography!

Kerry Drager
Newsletter Editor

Where is Jim Miotke? Follow BetterPhoto's founder and president on Twitter - BetterPhotoJim - and in his blog: jim.betterphoto.com


Updates From BetterPhoto

The actual color of a photograph is an important part of color photography, says BP instructor and Outdoor Photographer columnist Rob Sheppard. "Unfortunately, the camera doesn't see the world the same way that we do and often gives you compromised color. Lightroom offers some great controls to enable you to get the most from color in your images." Read Rob's BP article here... There are many awesome reasons to jump into a BetterPhoto online course. See our Top Ten list... For more info on our online photography school: www.betterphoto.com/online-photography-courses.asp "Destroying Fear by Getting Clear" is the inspiring topic of Jim Miotke's 2-Day Creative Confidence weekend workshop. Read the details here...

Photo Q&A

1: Photo Enhancements: CS4 Vs. Elements 8

I have been shooting pics for a long time, and I pride myself on not enhancing my images with Photoshop or other programs. But it seems like lately that most all professionals are "popping" the color on their pictures or tinkering with the natural lighting somehow. I am slowly getting an "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude.
What are the fastest and easiest ways to produce this "hyper-colored" look?
- Lori Hohenstein

ANSWER 1:
Hello Lori,
I know there are many "purists" in regards to photography & digital editing but the fact is that even film images were also processed for color, saturation, brightness, etc.. Many of the tools that Photoshop includes, came from the film editors processing tools & techniques. Its just easier to do these processes with digital software. If you shoot a raw + jpg as many cameras will do, the raw image may look a bit flat as it is just unprocessed raw data, where as a jpg is processed in the camera and will come out of the camera looking better than the raw image. The raw image needs to be processed to make it come to life. This is a great advantage especially for things like correcting white balance and adjusting exposure.
Doing our own digital editing also allows us to edit an image the way we want it to look and gives us a lot of control from simple edits to extreme manipulations. Its all a matter of taste when it comes to editing, and I have tried many extreme edits just to see how far I can go. If I dont like the end result, I just go back to the original & start it over again.
I don't know what software you have, but Adobe Photoshop is what many people use. It has more tools than you may ever need and something like Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Elements may fill all your editing needs. I have the Canon software that is included with my cameras but I started using Photoshop years before I bought my first Canon, so I never really explored that software.
There are free software programs like GIMP and Picassa. Other choices are Corel Paintshop Pro and Apple Aperture as well.
If you don't have any of these and are looking for a place to start, I would recommend Adobe Elements 8, which is under $100 and will do most anything you will ever need.
I also recommend taking a class as many books will include so many things that will not pertain to what you want to do, but the classes here will focus on exactly the tools you will need & want.
Hope this helps.

- Carlton Ward

ANSWER 2:
HI Carlton - thanks for the help. I do have Photoshop 8.0 and it overwhelms me! Is Lightroom an extra program? I am going to check out the others too.
Thanks!!

- Lori Hohenstein

ANSWER 3:
Hi Lori,
What you have is Photoshop Elements 8 (PSE8), since PS 7 was the last professional program before they started the CS (Creative Suite) series. They are now up to CS4, and CS5 will probably come out during this calender year. These are $700 programs. PSE8 is the one to keep using since it has many of the same tools that are found in the more advanced programs. Lightroom is less expensive than CS4 but considerably more advanced than PSE8. It is not necessary to upgrade each time Adobe comes out with a new version unless you have such an advanced camera that your program will not read it. I have friends who still use PSE2, and they have Canon 1Ds Mark II cameras. However, the RAW processor in PSE 7 and 8 is much better. Take a course from BP to learn how to use it properly and you will be delighted on how your photos look after 5 minutes of work or less. You are correct that when you do not know h ow to use it it is overwhelming but the instructors take out all the mystery.
Some people used VS, Very Saturated, film when taking photos. It was their style and what they preferred. Many of us didn't. How the colors turn out now is up to you. And the programs let you adjust it any way that you want. You can even make a B&W print if you so desire. As Carlton pointed out, we are doing the same thing that was done in the lab, just the method has changed.
Here is a photo that is as natural as I could get it. But it did take a little work. It had to be cropped, since neither 35mm film or the same format with digital can naturally be enlarged to 8X10, I made it a little brighter, sharpened it so that detail on the rock was visible, burned in the out of focus rock behind his head, added a bit of saturation to enhance the colors slightly and that was it. I just noticed that I should have made his left hand a little darker because it is too light for his complexion. Does this look unnatural to you?

http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=8827031

You will often find dust bunnies on your sensor. These are easily removed and less time-consuming than working with film.
Best of luck, and TAKE a course. You won't be sorry.

- Lynn R. Powers

ANSWER 4:
Lori,
Richard Lynch teaches a 4-week course ( Photoshop 101) and there are a couple of other ones as well. Like Lynn stated, a short course will make a huge difference and get you on your way. It is actually a lot of fun playing with all the editing tools but to be able to make the image look how you want it to makes the learning curve and effort so worth it.

- Carlton Ward

ANSWER 5:
If you are not a Pro, you will find PSE8 is all you need. Yes, there are things in PS CS3 and CS4 that PSE8 cannot do. But PSE8 is a lot of program. Learn that first before even thinking about any other program. :O)

- Dr. Silly
Read this Q&A at BetterPhoto.com

Answer this question:



2: Framing Large Pictures

I am hoping I might get some insight on prints and framing. I have what I think is an incredible shot that I want to frame big. Do any of you have any suggestions on great framers - and a reasonable cost is also something I'm trying to find. I usually use MPIX, but they don't have super large framing. I have the 5D Mark II, so quality is good enough to go big. I'm not sure what I mean by big, but I am thinking gallery type. I had even thought about the metal prints. But at least 40x60. Maybe I can get some opinions from some of you... T hanks in advance.
- Dee Haugen

ANSWER 1:
Hi Dee,
I wrote an article a while ago about framing. It might help: www.siskinphoto.com/magazine/zpdf/framing.pdf. I think you are going to have to find a local supplier if you want to go that large, since shipping a piece of glass in that size would add a lot of cost. I use a wholesale outfit: Valley Moulding and Frame. They are good, but you need to buy in some quantity to really get a good price.
Thanks.

- John H. Siskin

See John Siskin's instructor page:
http://www.betterphoto.com/photography-classes-instructors-details.asp?instructorID=158091

Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with John Siskin:
4-Week Short Course: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
4-Week Short Course: Getting Started in Commercial Photography
4-Week Short Course: Portrait Photography Lighting on Location and in the Studio
Read this Q&A at BetterPhoto.com

Answer this question:

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If you use a Challenge-Response system for email, please make certain that you can receive our email by adding www.betterphoto.com to your Allow List.
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No part of this newsletter may be copied or published without prior permission.
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