LRTimelapse version 4.7.5

LRTimelapse version 4.7.5 has just been released.  Here is the link for the update:https://lrtimelapse.com/download/If you do not own the best Timelapse processing application (it works in tandem with Adobe Lightroom) you can get it here:

 

This update improves support for external ramping tools like the timelapse+ View and improvements for working with Cinema-DNG files. The windows version does not need java installed anymore (likewise as on mac) and along with this there are several fixes and improvement to make your workflow easier and more streamlined. Preview generation has been significantly improved and several new cameras are now supported.

Adobe CS 6 Dead (Retired) and CC subscription prices go up in some countries

Without any press release or announcement, Adobe has officially retired the CS 6 products.  The CS 6 web page reads:

"Looking for Creative Suite 6? The latest versions of all your favorite apps like Photoshop and Illustrator are only available with a Creative Cloud membership. You’ll also get hundreds of step-by-step tutorials, built-in design templates, your own portfolio website, and more.

 

As of January 9, 2017 Creative Suite is no longer available for purchase."

 

Lightroom is still available as a standalone product so you can still get the latest RAW converter and continue to use your Photoshop CS 6 License.

 

I am using Capture One for my Library and RAW conversion (so awesome); Affinity (from Serif, now also for Windows), On1 RAW and Macphun Luminar for Pixel based editing. I really do not use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop except for some demos and where my students need specific Adobe product help and I never did subscribe to the CC model.

 

Also from Adobe:

Adobe and currency fluctuations

Currency exchange rates have fluctuated significantly over the last few years. Like many US-based global companies, Adobe is making pricing adjustments in a number of countries to offset fluctuations in foreign exchange rate. Starting on March 6, 2017, the price of Adobe products in the United Kingdom and Sweden will be increased. Existing customers will receive information about their subscription pricing directly from Adobe.

 

When do the product prices increase in the United Kingdom and Sweden? 

 The increased prices are effective starting on March 6, 2017.

 

I have an existing membership. Is my monthly fee going up?  

If you have a month-to-month plan, you will see the price increase on your statement at the next billing date. If you have an annual plan, the new price goes into effect at the end of your annual term.

 

Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Day 3

A very bleak, cold and windy morning in the Titusville area.  The morning photo drive yelled very little compared to days one and two.  A trip to the visitor center was worth it for the Painted Bunting.  Images captured with the Panasonic Lumix GX85 and the Leica 100 - 400 mm lens. 

Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Day 2

Iffy weather with grey skies and a cool wind.  It sure made the birds hunker down in the mangroves.  Not to be a dettered my group were all ready to make the most of it.  Personally I am waiting to photograph the Roseate Spoonbills that have been quite elusive at Black Point.  I was however, rewarded with a fairly decent sighting and a photograph of a Clapper Rail.  It was nice to get an image of the bird in its entirety.   All the images except the last two were photographed using the Panasonic Lumix G85 body with the Leica 100 - 400 mm. lens.  What an amazing combination. Silhouettes at first light. Flight after flight of White Pelicans flew in to land and feast in the shallow waters of Black Point DriveMissing Rosettes Spoonbills but there were enough Herons and Egrets and a decent Glossy Ibis.  Not to miss out on ducks the Northern Shoveler families were a lot of fun to photograph. Finally here are two images that I posted earlier on FB that were captured using the new Panasonic Lumix FZ2500

Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival Day 1

Took a small group on a photo drive to Black Point this morning.  A fair amount of bird activity but not many spoonbills.  I used the Panasonic Lumix G85 with the Leica 100 - 400 mm lens for all the images shown here.  Low light performance is not bad at all.  Most of the images were at ISO 1600 and some at ISO 400.  All images captured hand-held, confirming the 5 axis IBIS and the lens IS combination truly works.Please click on any image for a larger rendition. 

Panasonic Lumix GH5 - WOW!!!!

What a great way to start the new year.  Panasonic today announced the full specs for their flagship camera the GH5.  Here are two links that say it all:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eRbB6kLCE8&t=327sandhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbYLMFbiMtA  

Thank You for a Wonderful 2016

An Awesome Deal - the Platypod Pro and the Max for one low price

My friends at Platypod are offering both the Pro and Max for $129. To trigger the discount, add both products to your shopping cart and use promo code: BLACKFRIDAY 

 

CLICK HERE FOR THE DIRECT LINK

 

This amazing offer valid from 11/25 at 12:01a through Monday 11/28 at 11:59 pm EST.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

Best Price Ever on the Topaz Collection - Nov. 25 - 30, 2016

Take advantage of the best pricing of the year on the complete lineup of Topaz products, with 50% off the Complete Collection starting November 25 through the end of November. Whether you want amazing photo effects or technically perfect images, Topaz helps you create the looks you love faster than ever.   Click on the "Get it Now" button above or use the code “BLACKFRIDAY16”What is the Collection?With the recent addition of Topaz Texture Effects 2, Impression 2, and Glow 2, the Complete Collection includes all 17 products, which individually would cost over $1000. We normally offer the Complete Collection at 50% off. However, until the end of November you can take an additional 50% off (meaning you pay 25% of the price of individual plugins) for the collection and collection upgrades.What is a Collection upgrade?If you’ve already purchased an individual product (or several products) from Topaz in the past, our system already discounts the collection upgrade price. As long as you're signed into your account, you can get an additional 50% off your custom collection upgrade pricing through the end of November. Whether you’re just starting or looking to expand your collection, there is never a better time to buy! *Note that this discount does not apply to individual plugin purchases, which are sold at full price.

Panasonic Lumix GH4 and G85 Firmware Updates Released

Panasonic has released firmware updates for the Lumix GH4 and the G85.

The GH4 update address a few minor issues when the camera is used with a battery grip.

The G85 update resolves the in-camera image stabilization not working properly when the camera is panned while capturing video.

Go get the updates CLICK HERE for the GH4

CLICK HERE for the G85

 

Nov 14, 2016 - Supermoon

Just a caution, the November 14 "supermoon" (aka beaver moon) will be at its peak at 8:52 am EST - not the best time to photograph it but you could get a good image prior to that, just as it is about to set. The moon sets at 6:36 AM so any time between 5:30 and 6:20 AM will be great for some awesome images of the Western Sky.The evening of November 13th and the 14th will have a 99%  full moon - great for some exceptional images even though the moon is not 100%.  Be sure to include some good foreground elements.Unfortunately I will be in NY City so am not sure what opportunities I will have.

Lume Cube and the new Life Lite

Even with all the advances and improvements to camera equipment, they can’t rise to every challenge. Lighting is still the most important factor in capturing a quality photograph, and good light can be as fleeting as the moments you are trying to capture.

Lume Cube has made it possible to carry perfect lighting in your pocket and pull it out when you need it.

In 2014 they launched the original Lume Cube, which is a powerful tool that allows photographers and videographers to control lighting in a unique way. The Lume Cube is bluetooth controlled, so by using their iPhone/Android app you can adjust the brightness, flash duration, use strobe modes, and turn on the optical sensor, to use your Lume Cube as a slave flash. You can also control Lume Cubes manually. There are two simple buttons on the top of the cube, and by clicking the left one you can cycle through 10 settings of brightness.

The Lume Cube is approximately 3 ounces and just 1.5 inches around, but really packs a punch. Despite it’s size, it has a 1500 lumen LED. To give a comparison, your phone’s flash is about 40 lumens. It is also daylight temperature at 6000K.

Lume Cube can significantly brighten a dark room, and gives you greater control to create beautiful photographs in dim settings. You can set up several cubes in your studio, and sync them all to your phone to adjust your lighting all while looking through your lens. This allows you to perfect your shot and save a significant amount of time.

 

Say you are shooting in harsh sunlight and there are shadows cast on your subject’s face. A Lume Cube comes in handy here to add a quick pop of light to fill in those shadows or control them and play with your lighting.

 

Lume Cube makes it easy to control your lighting whether you specialize in landscape, portrait, macro, or underwater photography.

With a ¼ 20 thread, the Lume Cube is compatible with any camera. You can mount it on your DSLR with their popular ball-head cold shoe mount. You can remove the base of the cold shoe and then mount your Lume Cube onto a light stand for a studio setting. They make several different mounting solutions including a GoPro Mount, smartphone clip, and even drone mounts. Yes, you can use Lume Cubes on your drone as a spotlight, and even get creative with light painting and long exposure photography.

To make things even more convenient, Lume Cubes are waterproof up to 100 feet. Can you use your current studio lights for underwater photography as well?

You can purchase a Lume Cube on their website for $79.99, and they also sell sets of two and four Lume Cubes.

In case that’s out of your budget and you don’t necessarily need that level of professional lighting, Lume Cube just launched their latest innovation, the Life Lite on Kickstarter. Their campaign is live now, and you can preorder a Life Lite below retail price for $39. They are expected to ship in March of 2017. The new portable light delivers the same award-winning design and functionality as the original Lume Cube, but scaled down in size, weight, and price to offer mobile lighting to the masses.

The Life Lite is still smartphone controlled, waterproof, and fully adjustable. So what are the differences? Life Lite is adjustable up to 1000 lumens, where the Lume Cube is a 1500 lumen LED. Also, the color temperature of the Life Lite is 5600K making it a bit warmer than the Lume Cube. In addition, the Life Lite is about half the width of the Lume Cube and lighter at approximately 2 ounces. This makes it much easier to use the Life Lite with your smartphone for mobile photography. Lastly, the Life Lite is half the price of the Lume Cube.

Both the Lume Cube and the Life Lite feature a custom fresnel lens, so both lighting solutions give off an even light with zero hotspots, and a soft falloff around the edges of the beam. Both products deliver high quality lighting, it just depends on your lighting needs and your budget. Which one will you choose?

Day 1 - Cape Cod Fall 2016 Workshop

Near perfect weather greeted us on the first day of my Fall workshop in Cape Cod.  Here is an image of Rock Harbor in Orleans, MA just after the sun set. 

Mormon Row Barn

The Panasonic Lumix G7 IR Converted camera with the 7-14 mm lens is ideal for these vast sky IR images. 

The Pre-Order for Aurora HDR 2017 is ending soon, order now.

Aurora HDR 2017 is the world’s ultimate HDR photo solution, chock full of new tools and capabilities. As a one-stop tool kit for casual and pro photographers alike, it’s versatile interface features a faster, more powerful, feature-rich and satisfying experience than any other photography software or combination of tools. Perfect for single shots or multiple-exposure brackets, Aurora HDR 2017 gives you the ultimate freedom to create.Upgrades and Pricing: 

• New Customer Pre-Order Price: $99 $89 – Save $10 during pre-order, Includes Pre-Order Bonuses!
• Current Users of Aurora HDR Pro Upgrade Price: $59 $49 Includes Pre-Order Bonuses
• Current Users of Aurora HDR Upgrade Price: $79 $69 Includes Pre-Order Bonuses

Pre-Order Bonus Items:

• Trey Ratcliff Deep Dive video
• 1 Year basic subscription to SmugMug
• 60-day KelbyOne membership
• 25 Square Prints from Parabo.press (free global shipping)

 Aurora HDR 2017 Key Features:

• NEW: Polarize Filter
• NEW: Powerful Zone System for Luminosity masks
• NEW: Batch Processing
• NEW: Radial Masking
• IMPROVED: Tone-mapping technology with reduced HDR noise, improved realism of initial result and faster performance
• IMPROVED: User Interface with a cleaner more modern style

TWiP - The iPhone 7 arrives and a lot more

Once again it was a pleasure to cohost TWiP this past week with Frederick van Johnson and Andy Biggs.Apologies that this post is a week late as I am in Iceland with limited internet access.Click here for the podcast audio and video.

Imagination

"The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself." William BlakeThis is an image created when I saw this Birch tree and imagined it as an IR - Black and White (pre-visualizing the end result).  Panasonic Lumix G7 Enhanced Color IR converted camera with the Lumix 14 - 140 mm lens at 14 mm.  Exposure triad: ISO 200, f/5, 1/800 sec.  Processed using Capture One and Photoshop CS6.

TWiP 481: Photokina Preview

With the Photokina tradeshow just around the corner, vendors are polishing up their offerings, and teasing us with the next amazing thing that will make us whip out that credit card. DJI has new drones, GoPro also has new drones, and even Garmin is entering the fray with an action camera that takes direct aim at GoPro. There are definitely some interesting announcements ahead and Frederick, Doug and I had a great opportunity to discuss these and more.CLICK HERE FOR THE PODCAST

2016 Labor Day Weekend in Maine

On a whim, decided to spend two nights in ANP Maine.  With no hotels available we ended up in Searsport about 1.5 hours from the park.  The plan was to do some night photography.  Here are a few of the images from the trip.