CreativeLive – Training for Photographers

Posted on February 1, 2012 by admin

I have to tell you about a site that I found completely by accident that has already proven to be one that is priceless.  The site is CreativeLive, which is a website that has photography training webinars.   It caters to photographers, and whether you’re a wedding, portrait, senior, or other type of photographer, there is a class for you.  The fantastic part is that they are completely free.  Well, there is a caveat to the “free” part.  In order for view them for free, you have to enroll in the free webinar, and be available at the time they are streaming live.  Without purchasing them, you cannot see them once they are completed.  However, if you want to buy them, you can download them and watch as you please. Over the weekend, I watched a webinar featuring, Zack and Jody who are premiere wedding photographers in Nashville, Tennessee.  Their webinar was pretty in depth and went into lighting,  posing, gear, business aspects of photography, etc.   The class was only $99 (Now $149.00) to buy, but I opted for the free version.  I will probably purchase the paid version later, because the tips and techniques that I learned were amazing.  They dug right in and really showed you how things are done.  I love that.  Check the CreativeLive calendar because there are upcoming events for boudoir, baby, fashion and other great photography webinars.  Their link is http://www.creativelive.com.  You will thank me, because this is a truly awesome sight whose main audience consists of photographers, at every level who want to step up their game and take it to the next level.  Enjoy the sight and let me know what you think.

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BELLISIMO

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

 

I’ve been photographing the beauty in this photograph  since birth.  She’s now 14, and I still enjoy photographing her just as much.  Yep, you guessed it, she is my muse, and also my lovely daughter.   Now that she’s a teenager, it’s not so easy to just say, “Hey pretty girl.  Let me see you” and have her turn around, pose and give a million dollar smile.  Now, it’s more like, “Okay mom, this is your last shot.”  Yikes! that hurts just saying it.   Okay, she’s a teen…..well, you know.  Anyway, even though she sometimes snarls at the camera, we always, always get “the shot”.  I know it’s the shot when she walks by her framed photo and says “That’s hot”.  As photographers, you can think whatever you want, but at the end of the day, it’s all about what your client thinks.  She’s not actually my client, but she definitely knows a good photograph when she sees one.  This was her favorite photo of our Winter Formal mini-session.  Oh yes, and guess where I got that gorgeous frame?…..You guessed it,  http://www.sxc.hu/.  I’m in heaven!

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Photo Exchange – Free Stock Images

Posted on January 24, 2012 by admin

 

Recently, I have found myself spending quite a bit of time on sxc.xchang which is a website that has free stock images, textures, graphics, etc.  For those of you who are into design, as well as photography, this is a gold mine.   They have a very large assortment of images, and I know that you will be impressed by all of the royalty free graphics they offer. They are one of the rare sites that continues to allow you to use their images free of charge.  The images do have certain restrictions, but they are ones that I am sure you can live with.  Make sure to look under usage, and it will tell you what your image can be used for.   There is no limit to what you can find on sxc.   Make sure to visit them at http://www.sxc.hu/ and let me know what you think.  I know you won’t be disappointed.

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Facebook Cover Photo

Posted on January 16, 2012 by admin


About two weeks ago, I changed to the new and “improved” Facebook Timeline, view. You have the option of waiting 11 days for it to go live, before anyone is actually able to see it.  Well, I opted for the 11 days, but when it was made public, I wasn’t too happy with the final product.  Facebook now allows you to choose a banner type cover photo, which covers a large portion of the upper top of your screen.  Sort of like a website.  I was completely unhappy with mine, and decided to re-do it in Photoshop.  You can place any photo in that spot, but for those of you who want to be a bit more creative, you can make a complete, custom banner in Photoshop, or Illustrator, which creates a more cohesive page and gives your new Facebook timeline a personalized touch.  If you opt for the custom banner, you will need to use the dimensions of 824 x 323 pixels.  This will fit perfectly on the page.  From there, you can go crazy and add all the bells and whistles to your banner.  Oh, a word of caution.  Before you actually change to Timeline, look at a friend’s to determine if it’s something you would be interested in, because once you’ve changed to it, I don’t think you can change it back to the old Facebook.  Bye for now and have a great week.

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ADORAMA DISCOUNT CODE

Posted on January 15, 2012 by admin

Hey all, this morning when I looked in my email, I received a special offer from Adorama which I would like to share with you.   From now until the end of the month, the 8 x 8 photobooks, which are usually $23.95 are on sale for $11.95.  If you have never ordered an Adorama photobook, this is a great opportunity to experience the quality of a beautifully printed and quality photobook.  In order to get your discount, put the code “BELIEVE” in at checkout.  You will be awe struck by the beauty of your book.   For now, the discount only applies to 8 x 8 books, but the other books go on sale at various times throughout the year.  This particular promotion is not going to work for my holiday photobook because it is 10 x 10, but the previous two books I ordered are 8 x 8 and they are superb.  Adorama’s photobooks are definitely worth the price, but who doesn’t love a sale.  Don’t miss out on this special deal, and keep checking back for more sales deals and updates for Adorama.  When I choose a photobook company, they rate among the best.

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Photo Challenge Update

Posted on January 12, 2012 by admin

 

Okay guys, to be quite honest with you, I am not enjoying the photo challenge, therefore, I have decided to give it up.  I’m not really interested in what happens on the day to day, especially if I have to take pictures of my cell phone and other uninteresting stuff to fill 365 days.  As usual, when something special comes along, I am definitely going to shoot it from my vantage point, but I think it’s not fair to expect anyone to come here and find 365 days of ?????.   The 365 day project is something that should be relegated to Flickr or Facebook.  It’s just not right for my blog.  Perhaps in the future, I will do a photo project as a group on Flickr.    My goal for this blog is to learn and take my photography to the next level.  As I progress, I want to share what I’ve learned, and how it could benefit you.  Stay tuned, because in the next few months, I will be updating my website.  I also have some awesome events that I will be photographing, so come back and visit.

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Photo Challenge Day 9

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

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Photo Challenge Day 8

Posted on January 10, 2012 by admin

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Photo Challenge Day 7

Posted on January 8, 2012 by admin

Tonight was not my night at our local casino.  I played and played, but never won anything, while people around me were whoo hooing their way back and forth to the ticket redemption machine.  I am not a happy camper, and this is all I brought back home (tears).  Don’t worry, I will be okay in the morn.  I just hate losing.

 

 

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Photo Challenge Day 6

Posted on January 7, 2012 by admin

Today was a very good day because I learned how to sync my camera and use my SB-600 flash, externally.  It was my first little experiment, and I can see why the external, off-camera flash is a game changer in the world of photography.  I can see better saturation and contrast.  I’ll be doing a lot of experiments to see how the external flash can be optimized to produce amazing images, so keep checking back.

 

 

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