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Nikon School
Last weekend I attended the Nikon School: HD-SLR Video Multimedia Workshop and it proved to great weekend of learning and an eye-opening experience. This was a two-day workshop covering the basics; capturing video and audio including, using different types of microphones, interview techniques, and the basics of video editing. The most eye-opening part of the weekend for me was exactly how hard shooting video really is. It has to do with two different aspects; the first is that with video you have to pre-plan the action and where and when...
read moreAnthrax Concert Shoot
This was my third time photographing Anthrax in concert and it was the most intimate venue yet. I previously photographed them on the Jaegermeister tour and at the Big 4 and both those shows were great but the show that Anthrax put on in San Diego last Monday night was the best yet. It seems that being out as the headliners and supporting a new album really turned the show up to 11. I had a goal for this show, and that was to catch Scott Ian in mid leap. The first time I saw them, I was over in front of Scott and during the third song I saw...
read moreBilly Idol in concert 2011
For the last few years I have been photographing Billy Idol and his band in concert. Luckily they play in Southern California a lot and even in a year where they only played a handful of shows, one of then was down the road at one of my favorite venues. What I wanted to capture was Billy Morrison playing his signature Gibson Les Paul in a live concert environment. I was there when Billy saw the guitar for the first time at NAMM and I was able to photograph Billy at the Gibson showroom in Los Angeles when he was there to film some videos for...
read moreLight It, Shoot It, Retouch It. Live in Los Angeles
Yesterday I spent the day in Los Angeles with Scott Kelby, Brad Moore and a room full of photographers and Photoshop users. I was there for the latest Kelby Training tours; The Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It tour and it was a really fun day. The day is broken into five different sessions, each of which last about an hour and each of which has a different look. That is, each of the sessions uses a different lighting setup, a different model or at least a different look for one of the three models and a different set of retouching...
read moreTears for Fears
This post is about two separate things. The first is shooting Tears for Fears, the second is using a pre release version of Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4 to add a natural border look to each image. I want to start with the Nik software Color Efex Pro 4. If you read this blog you know that i am a huge fan of the Nik Software Silver Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro 2. One of the big advances in Silver Efex Pro 2 was the inclusion of a natural borders effect. This created a brier on the image that could be adjusted and randomized making an endless...
read moreBackstage at the PhotoshopWorld keynote
If you have ever been to a Photoshop World, you know what a production the keynote is. If you haven’t been to a Photoshop World, the next one is in Washington DC for the first time and I am sure will be something memorable. The last Photoshop World took place in Las Vegas and the theme to the conference and the keynote was a spoof on Project Runway but all the designs were based on Photoshop tools. The attendees entered the hall at 8:30 am and the show kicked off promptly at 9am but the day started a lot earlier for some of us. Full...
read moreBook Review: Photoshop Compositing Secrets
I don’t do many book reviews here on my blog. I read a lot of books, some good, some bad and some great but I usually leave the book reviews to others. Today is an exception. A week or two ago I received my copy of Photoshop Compositing Secrets. Unlocking the Key to Perfect Selections & Amazing Photoshop Effects for Totally Realistic Composites by Matt Kloskowski. This a really good book for both photographers and Photoshop users because it makes you think about all the parts of your image. Let me explain… When you create a...
read moreLil Wayne in concert
Lil Wayne brought his I AM STILL MUSIC tour 2011 to San Diego last week and I was there to capture it. The shooting restrictions were the first three from the soundboard which was fine. I am getting used to the soundboard restrictions for shows in San Diego and even though I had already returned the 400mm f/2.8 to Nikon and I still have the 300mm f/4 in my lens collection. This lens is great for these shoots with the brightly lit stages and the relatively short distance from the front of the soundboard to the stage. Don’t get me...
read moreNight & Low-Light Photography Photo Workshop
I am working on the final edits on my new book. It is called Night & Low Light Photography Photo Workshop. It is part of the Photo Workshop series of books and has been really interesting to write. The first problem was to decide on what content would be in the book. What is low light photography? I know that fireworks and long exposures were a given, but what about light painting or photographing a wedding in a dimly lit church? The moon and cityscapes along with light trails are all a given but how about getting a portrait indoors or...
read moreLight It: The new iPad magazine from Kelby Media
The reason that I first joined NAPP (National Association of Photoshop Proffessionals) was because of the magazine Photoshop User. I picked up the first issue in a bookstore called the San Diego Technical Bookstore and I went back every week looking for more issues. I have every issue since the first one I bought hat day back so many years ago. Since then I have contributed to and article on Photoshop tips, co-authored an article on using Photoshop to color comic books and authored an article on Concert Photography. I have also taught at...
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