When all you see is snow and the temps are 17 below.

There is no point freezing in these temperatures so here are three images begging for spring.  Each was shot using a Zeiss 50mm at f/ 1.4 and a shutter speed of 1/80 to 1/100 sec, ISO 100.  A high key setup with a single strobe on the background and two for the flower.  Each image was compiled from a stack of 6 to 9 images for the best DOF.Image personality achieved by post processing in LR5, PS6, NiK and Macphun.   

NiK - Google release Analog Efex Pro

Analog Efex Pro"Explore the look and feel of classic cameras, films, and lenses" as state by NiK

The plugin allows you to create images with the look of various analog camera and film types.  You can choose from Classic, Vintage, Wet Plate and Toy Cameras and create vintage effects.  You can  create textures, modify the bokeh, generate frames and vignettes with controls that are not like the typical NiK "control points" used in the original suite of products.In the release NiK states that they will be adding  additional cameras, films, bells, and whistles.

NiK products will be automatically updated based on what you own but if you do not want to wait for the update to happen you can download the trial suite from the NiK web site and install it over your existing suite of NiK products.  Agalog Efex Pro will appear as an additional product in the Google/NiK collection.

Visualization

Visualization is a key theme of my Landscape Photography Workshops and last weekend was no exception. Having been to Fort Hill many times I have not been fortunate to get the sky I was looking for  (visualization). On Sunday it all came together. It is worth getting to a location well before sunrise, it is worth pre-visualizing the image, it is worth setting the camera on the tripod, making the image and getting a sense of satisfaction that is so total.As an added bonus, when the participants feel like they got some value from my workshops, it  makes it so worthwhile.  Thank you to all of you who come to these and other one day sessions - I truly appreciate your support and participation.A few more comments:This is not a 'let's go someplace pretty, take some pictures and have a nice lunch' weekend. It's a fun but intensive workshop for anyone serious about improving their photography. We worked hard from sunup to sundown, literally, but everyone came away with new skills, better aesthetic appreciation, and images they should be proud of. As always, I go for Shiv's teaching. His lessons are appropriate to my skill level, neither beginner nor pro. You'll learn more per hour from Shiv than from anyone else, and it's all good stuff.

NIK Silver Efex Pro 2 - Demo - December 16th

On December 16, 2011 I will be demonstrating NIK Silver Efex Pro 2 at Hunt's in Hanover during their CANON DAY.  Silver Efex Pro 2 will be available for purchase at an unbelievable price of $119.99 for the full version and as a free upgrade if you already own version 1 – this is a $100 discount.  You must come to the store to avail of these prices.Hunt’s will be featuring the new PRO-1 CANON INKJET PRINTER. There will be 2 Canon representatives on hand to answer questions you might have about any inkjet printers from Canon.If you have an interest in black and white prints, the Canon PRO-1 will give you tremendous results. Bring in a couple of files, preferably "black and white", to print out on the new PRO-1 or bring in a RAW file that you would like worked on and I will show you how to make a great monochromatic image suitable for printing.If you do not have a good B&W conversion software application go to www.niksoftware.com and download the trial version of SILVER EFEX PRO. Use this to prep your images that you bring to be printed.Hunts is located at 1207 Washington St, Hanover, MA 02339
  Phone: 781-312-1169