Photography

DSLR Video, Terry White and Matt Kloskowski — Photofocus Podcast 10/5/13

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This week’s show is a triple feature… we tackle three areas of the photo industry that are hot topics. First up, Scott Bourne interviews Rich Harrington about how to get started in DSLR video. Rich Harrington then takes the microphone and talks to Terry White from Adobe about changes at Adobe as well as Terry’s photography. Our third segment, Melissa Niu interviews Matt Kloskowski of Kelby Training to find out about how the photo industry is evolving.

Mastering Aperture: DSLR Video Tips

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How much light does your camera see? The aperture of your camera is its portal to the light in your scene (and without light, there are no pictures or video). Controlling the aperture is essential to getting the right amount of light on to your camera’s sensor to capture the best shots.

There’s another side to aperture as well. As you open the aperture wider, you can narrow the depth of field in your shot, blurring more of the frame outside of your immediate focus area. This is often a hallmark of the “DSLR video” look. Mastering aperture is critical to high-quality video and photos.

This week we cover

  • What is aperture? Learn why the aperture is critical to good exposure, and how to access it on your lens.
  • A DP’s perspective on aperture Catch up with director of photography Jim Ball and learn how he uses aperture when shooting in different situations.
  • Adjusting the aperture Learn how to make adjustments to the settings on your camera to get the best results.
  • Real-world examples We’ll evaluate several shots, breaking down what worked and what didn’t.

Check out both the sample video above and this week’s complete episode on lynda.com. We’ll help you get the best exposure, and control the depth of field of your shots!

A Detailed HDR Webinar

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A detailed HDR Workflow webinar. We take a look at the brand new Photomatix beta release. Speakers Include:

  • Ron Pepper — HDRsoft

  • Hal Schmitt — Director of LIGHT Photographic Workshops

  • Kim Seng (Captain Kimo) — HDR Expert

Photofocus Team:

  • Richard Harrington

  • Melissa Niu

  • Levi Sim

  • Abba Shapiro

Try Out the New Photomatix 5 for Free

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You can download the beta here:  http://www.hdrsoft.com/download/betas/pmp50.php. Here are a few notes from HDRsoft.

Photomatix Pro version 5.0 is currently in beta testing phase. You are welcome to help us test the beta releases, but please note the following:
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  • Beta releases are not stable versions of the software. They may not work properly and they may crash often.
  • Beta releases are intended for testing purposes only, and should not be used for normal use and production work.
  • Beta releases of Photomatix Pro include the usual registration system of normal versions, i.e. they run in trial mode when the software has not been registered.
  • Beta releases are not supported. If you need support with running Photomatix Pro, please download the official release of Photomatix Pro instead

Adam Elmakias and Lightroom 5.2 — Photofocus Podcast 9/25/13

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This week’s show is a double dose of Photo inspiration that will work both sides of your brain.  First we take a look at new Adobe tech for Lightroom and Camera Raw, then we jump over and catch up with music photographer Adam Elmakias.  Join hosts Rich Harrington and Melissa Niu for interviews with important thought leaders.

Lightroom 5.2 and Adobe Camera Raw 8.2 Updates

Rich catches back up with Sharad Mangalick, product manager for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and Camera Raw.  Adobe is shipping a new update that adds a lot of cool features for both Creative Cloud and CS6 users.

Rich and Sharad discuss:

  • What specific change will we see in Camera Raw
  • What small tweaks have been improved
  • What can you do with video clips
  • What are some new Lightroom specific changes
  • How to get access to tech early with Adobe Labs
  • Where can you learn more about Lightroom

Follow Sharad on Twitter — www.twitter.com/smangalick

Adam Elmakias

Adam Elmakias is a music and travel photographer based out of San Diego, California. He started shooting at age 16 by going to local shows with his camera.  This eventually grew into applying for photo passes, then going out on the road with bands. He’s spent the last several years touring almost nonstop. Adam is also one of the most followed photographers on Instagram.

Melissa Niu catches up with Adam:

  • Who is Adam and what does he do?
  • How does is monetize his work?
  • How did Adam get his foot in the door and grow?
  • Why trust has been essential in the process?
  • Advice on working with social media
  • Gear talk: what he uses and how
  • How he gets his unique photos
  • What advice does he offer to those starting out?
  • Where to find Adam online?

Follow Adam on Twitter — www.twitter.com/elmakias

Time-lapse video tutorial: Basic moves on a slider

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In this tutorial explore the basics of working with a Kessler camera slider in order to shoot time-lapse photography. Topics include setting the shoot's start and end points, adjusting the axis of the camera, and tips for keeping flicker out of your shots, including engaging the mirror lock-up and turning of noise reduction. Watch more at http://www.lynda.com/After-Effects-tu....

This tutorial is a single movie from the Creating Time-Lapse Video course presented by lynda.com author Rich Harrington. The complete course is 3 hours and 27 minutes. Get on-location tips and post-production techniques to speed up time and create compelling visual effects with time-lapse photography.

  • Introduction
  • 1. What Is Time-Lapse Photography?
  • 2. Technical Essentials
  • 3. Equipment: What You'll Need and Might Want
  • 4. Choosing a Shooting Format
  • 5. A Better Timeline Panel
  • 6. The Exposure Triangle in Depth
  • 7. Using a Slider
  • 8. Shooting Time Lapse on a Smartphone or Tablet
  • 9. Managing Data from a Time-Lapse Shoot
  • 10. Organizing the Images for Post
  • 11. Developing the Images for Post
  • 12. Assembling a Time-Lapse Movie with Adobe Photoshop
  • 13. Assembling a Time-Lapse Movie with Adobe After Effects
  • 14. Assembling a Time-Lapse Movie with Adobe Premiere Pro
  • 15. Assembling a Time-Lapse Movie with Apple Final Cut Pro X

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Photographers Tamara Lackey & Joel Grimes plus Facebook’s New Policy — Photofocus Podcast 9/15/13

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Here is the new podcast feed: feed://feeds.feedburner.com/photofocuspodcastGet the show here  or get it on iTunes
This week’s show is a triple scoop of goodness.  We’ve got three interviews to satisfy your creative, technical, and business needs. Join hosts Rich Harrington and Melissa Niu for interviews with important thought leaders.
 First up, Rich talks with Tamara Lackey who is a professional photographer, speaker, and author. She focusses on  lifestyle photography, from children’s portraits to celebrity portraits.  Tamara’s work has been featured in dozens of media outlets, including Parenting Magazine, O – The Oprah Magazine, Town & Country, Vogue, Food & Wine, Men’s Journal, Nikon World, Professional Photographer Magazine, Rangefinder Magazine, Photoshop User Magazine, NBC’s The Martha Stewart Show, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, PBS’ Need to Know and NBC’s The Today Show.


Rich and Tamara discuss:

  • What she’s been working on lately
  • The What If Day Camps to recharge your creativity
  • How bringing art and business together taught her a lesson
  • Tips on balancing your personal, business, and family life
  • Three things that you can do to change bad habits that are holding you back
  • Practicing with your equipment so you know it cold


Next up, Melissa Niu sets down with Joel Grimes. Joel is a commercial advertising photographer with a distinct style. His unique approach has earned him work from top advertising agencies and art buyers.

Melissa and Joel discuss:

  • How he started out
  • Advice for branding your work
  • How Joel defined his look
  • How compositing and digital photography affected his workflow
  • What you need to do to master your look
  • Advantages of HDR
  • Our handicaps and the beauty of working and overcoming them
  • How his color blindness affected and contributed to his look
  • Tips to achieve your goals


Last up, we dig deep into the recent Facebook controversy. Photographers are giving up even more rights by posting to the social network.  We went straight to the top to get a leading legal expert.  Terry Hart, the Director of Legal Policy for the Copyright Alliance breaks through the hype and rumors and walks us through the real repercussions.
Rich and Terry discuss:

  • Why is this Facebook change creating such a buzz
  • Why Facebook wants your content
  • What are you granting Facebook to do with your content?
  • What Facebook says they will do versus what the terms of service says they can do
  • Suggestions on how to protect your interests when using a social network
  • Why watermarking your content won’t protect you
  • Can you change your mind and “un-post” content?
  • How to use 3rd party sites to share links
  • Why is this becoming  a legal issue and Congress getting involved?
  • How can groups like the Copyright Alliance and American Society of Media Photographers help?
  • Where can you go to learn more about copyright

Disclaimer: This show presents several ideas and techniques that we hope help you.  These are just some ways of approaching the issues at hand.  Combine with your own skill for best results.
Download  — http://photofocuspodcast.libsyn.com/webpage
Hosted by Rich Harrington and Melissa Niu
Please post a review for the Podcast on iTunes — http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/photofocus/id512223214