Beyond Megapixels » freebies

Web Workshops I’ve Got My Eye On

Tiffany Joyce — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 07:00:55 +0000

Hi friends! I’ve been collecting a list of web workshops and seminars that I would like to attend, and I thought I would share them with you.

THIS WEEKEND: I won’t be able to attend this one, since I’ll be in Indianapolis photographing the MotoGP race, but I would have liked to attend! Mark Wallace, of Snapfactory and Adorama.tv, is hosting Anatomy of a Photoshoot with the folks at CreativeLive. This is a FREE, live, on-line three-day workshop (if you can’t attend, a DVD of the workshop costs $149.00). A free three-day workshop is a PHENOMENAL offering and I hope you all take advantage of it.

CreativeLive has a huge catalog of webinars, many of them free, so be sure to check them out!

The Manfrotto School of Excellence also has a calendar of regularly scheduled web workshops and seminars. Some of them are product plugs (I attended the Datacolor one and I found it to be pretty darned informative), but many of them are subject-driven. For instance, John Ricard is hosting Principles of Studio Photography 01 – Understanding How to Light Multiple Elements in a Scene on September 30th, for those of you who would like to strengthen their knowledge in that area.

Finally, check out Big Picture Classes for truly inspirational workshops. Tracey Clark is leading The Art of Composition beginning in September. It is a 12-week on-line course designed to help photographers learn to create visually compelling images. The cost is $299 and includes all required class materials and access to message boards and private galleries.

Are you planning on attending any on-line seminars, workshops, or courses? Tell us about them in the comments or on our Facebook page!

Photo Credit: “Swamp Bokeh” by Dawn Huczek on Flickr Creative Commons.

How To Create A Free Photo Blog

Tiffany Joyce — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:00:33 +0000

A few readers over the past couple of weeks have e-mailed me, asking my advice on how to go about creating a photography blog of their own. I understand that website/blog creation can be intimidating for the uninitiated, but the process is extremely simple, and extremely flexible to every individual’s creative needs.

I have a couple of go-to weblog publishers that I recommend to friends – the best part is, they’re completely free.

Personally, I use WordPress for all of my (many!) personal blogging needs – in fact, this site you’re reading right now is a WordPress blog. It’s a free hosted blog service which allows you to create your own domain name, suffixed by “wordpress.com”. If you’ve purchased a domain name you can use it as well, and get rid of the wordpress reference in the URL. There are many site templates to choose from, several of them specifically oriented toward photo blogging. My experience with their customer support has always been excellent, and the administration is pretty intuitive via their dashboard system. You can be up and running with your own blog in no time flat, and no programming or HTML experienced is required.
Another popular and free hosted blog service is Blogger (also known as BlogSpot). After creating an account, Blogger will guide you through choosing a blog name (and URL suffixed by “blogger.com”), choosing a template, and publishing your first posts. Purchased domains can also be used to substitute the Blogger-generated URL.
Photoblog is an extremely simple site to use, and offers bare-bones photo-dedicated blogging. The drawback to this site is that user pages contain distracting ads. Photoposts does a better job of this photo-only format, with no mandatory ads.

Now, I personally upload very few photos to my blog site – I tend to use the HTML code provided via Flickr to post my photos to my blog without having to occupy my blog’s memory availability. Most blogs have a limit to how much storage space is provided with their free service (many offer upgrades to give you more space). Linking the photos from Flickr saves space on my blog.

Another note to be aware of – once you publish something to the internet, it’s there FOREVER. Sites like the Internet Archive Wayback Machine hold cached copies of website pages even after the website itself has been discontinued. So if you’re at all concerned about your work being “out there”, think about that before you publish on your blog. Photo copyrights still apply, so be sure to add a copyright notice to your blog to cover your work (this is the one I use). It can be difficult to track down violations and pursue legal action. Watermarking your photographs helps, and reverse image search engines like TinEye help you find where your images are being used.

I hope you’ve found this information useful, if you have any questions about getting started you can shoot me an e-mail. Do any of you have any free photo blog sites to recommend, or positive/negative experiences with those that I’ve already mentioned? Feel free to let us know in the comments!

Photo credit: “Latte blog” by Filipe Ferreira on Flickr Creative Commons.

Free Photoshop Actions

Tiffany Joyce — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:00:45 +0000

Photoshop actions are a great way to quickly edit your photos to achieve the effect you want, and to also fix common issues with your images. They’re basically macros that are developed for Photoshop which, with a click of the mouse, will run through a series of adjustment steps for you, without you having to process each step individually.

While I don’t recommend using actions without understanding the underlying concepts of the adjustments you’re performing, they are handy, and fun, and kind of addictive. You can even write your own actions, the technique of which I’ll write about in a future entry. Lots of companies offer packages of Photoshop actions for a range of prices – I’ve found a few places that offer free actions; or offer small, free “sample” packages of select actions from the full sets available for purchase.

I’ve found these sites to be safe and reliable, but as a disclaimer I advise that you ensure the site you’re downloading any data from is secure and virus-free, before you download anything to your computer.

Pioneer Woman Photography has developed a couple of sets of actions that apply interesting effects to your image, as well as adjust common issues. Effects actions include “seventies”, “heartland”, and “soft & faded”. Adjustment actions include “boost”, “slight lighten” and “dim the lights”. Here’s an example of some of the actions, applied to one of my own photos.

Original photo: a cowboy at the Cody Nite Rodeo in Cody, Wyoming.

This is the “Vintage” action:

This is the “B&W Beauty” action:

This is the “Lovely and Ethereal” action:

I also love Pioneer Woman’s “Start All Over!” action, which backs out all of the adjustments just performed to the image and returns it to its original state. That’s a great ability to have when you’re trying to figure out which action works best with the image you’re editing.

Totally Rad Actions offers terriffic packages of actions and filters. The original package of 46 actions costs $149.00, the second release of 57 actions costs $159.00, and the new package of 21 custom texture overlays costs $149.00. Discounts are offered if you purchase more than one package. However, if you’re not ready to buy the full packages, TRA offers a sample package for free. You are requested to provide some basic information, and in exchange you are e-mailed download instructions to receive eight free actions. You’re added to TRA’s e-mail mailing list, which I’ve never found to be intrusive – they send occasional updates about new products or goodies.

Here’s an example of some of the actions, applied to one of my own photos.

Original – A river along the eastern entrance road in Yellowstone National Park.

This is the “In-Faux-Red (B&W)” Action:

This is the “Troy” Action:

This is the “Super Fun Happy” Action:

One other thing to note – you can run multiple actions on the same photo to achieve the desired outcome.

Smashing Magazine has collected a long, long list of free photoshop actions and links to their sources.

Here’s an example of some of the actions, applied to one of my own photos.

Original: A stream near Aspen, Colorado

This is the “Contrast 1″ action from Photoshop Postwork Actions:

This is the “Retro Blues” action from Rather Large Set of Actions:

Enjoy playing around with all of these goodies, and feel free to share your results in the comments!

Photographers in the News and another Winner

Tiffany Joyce — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:24:05 +0000

In official business The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography can be claimed by commenter: PShorten. I have sent you an e-mail with request for your address but if you haven’t gotten it please check your junk mail.

I’m always interested in photo tips, who isn’t? So this week for our Photographers in the News I bring you tips from famed photographer Frank Cricchio by way of The Beaumont Enterprise a Hearst Newspaper. I recommend you check out all of the tips in the article but this one had me digging out my camera manual:

“Cloudy weather conditions reduce the amount of light, making for less contrast and consequently a softer image. To get a better photo, you need to tweak the contrast or tone setting in your camera, Cricchio said. You’ll get more vivid photos, even if the weather is crummy.”

I didn’t realize that I could do this as a pre-set on my camera until I investigated further. I really am digging this setting and will be posting some shots this week of the results thanks to some really crummy weather on the radar. Other things coming up this week:

My review of the Canon EOS 40D. I never thought I’d say this but I really liked cheating on my Nikon.
What is HDR and where to start your experimentation.
Another review and a HUGE giveaway from fotoflot.
Inspiration and Featured photos from our Flickr Group (have you uploaded something from the weekend yet?)
And tips on how to capture that look of love in photos.

Commercial love day right around the corner

Tiffany Joyce — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:39:06 +0000

Valentines Day is 8 days away. Is it a commercial holiday? Yes. Does everyone want flowers and chocolate? No. Here is my official Valentines Day guide for a person you love that also loves Photography.

This is a decorative camera strap by Cotton Candy available on Etsy.com it is reversible and, I think you’ll agree, VERY fun. I can practically here Doug, Tim and Magnus cringe – thanks for being awesome commenters guys – I love to hear your two cents on subjects. Clearly, this particular item isn’t going on your list.

I’m currently into Scrapbooking for Lexi’s baby book and I’ve been doing a lot in photoshop and having the pages printed all put together. I’m not so good with glue, so this is working out incredibly well for me. Here’s a kit that I’ve had my eye on – interesting looking background patterns and “stickers” to put on your eScrapbook.
Simple Scrapbook Boutique

I have my eye on this book How to Read a Photograph: Lessons from Master Photographers. I’ve heard incredible things about this book and the photographers featured within it.

Another book that I’ve had on my wish list is Best Business Practices for Photographers. Being a professional photographer is a goal of mine, while I do some shoots and have sold some of my pieces I’m not a “professional” in my own mind. I’m thinking that this book would help me flush out my ideas on what it would take from a business and management perspective to go to this next level.

A Gorillapod Flexible Tripod is another little piece of equipment that I’d like to have in my bag of tricks. I can see pulling this out at a restaurant so that I can be in a shot of Lexi getting a brownie with a candle on top.

Upgrade to a FlickrPRO account it’s just $24.95 a year and it provides yet another backup for your files.

And now for some ideas that do not involve actual dollars:

If you are a photographer…

provide a homemade gift certificate for a half a day that you’d like to follow that person around and capture them doing their favorite things on film. Be the paparazzi.

offer to create new thumbnail picture for the recipients online persona. I think most people have a picture up from 1999 and if you could do something creative and flattering then it’s a gift that they’ll treasure.

If you are giving to a photographer….

offer to be a model for a couple of hours with absolute patience. One of the most difficult things to do for a photographer is to try to learn new techniques, experiment with different perspectives and settings in a situation that is pressed for time. Giving the gift of your time would be incredibly generous.

make a special day trip to a garden, or a park, or just outside for a picnic and organize some great photo opportunities. Then after the day spend 30 minutes checking out all the shots.

Book Review: BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography

Tiffany Joyce — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:33:28 +0000

As mentioned earlier I am reviewing the BetterPhoto book series and I started off with the first book The Betterphoto Guide to Digital Photography. Overall I would say that this book was a good read and at under $17.00 it’s a great introductory look into Digital Photography.

The book is full of glossy photographs which helps me get through any book. The descriptions of the settings and functions on your standard SLR are technically sound and Miotke (the author) provides great metaphors to help understand the mechanics behind how the camera works.

The tips provided in the book would be helpful for someone going from a Point & Shoot camera to an SLR for the first time but you’ll need to read it with your camera manual as he doesn’t get into the specifics of how to modify your settings. Overall I really enjoyed the book and thought the information was ready for consumption for a newbie photographer. A weakness of the book (again, this is just my opinion) is the step-by-step lessons. It’s noted as the first bullet on the cover of the book so I had great expectations of challenges and engaging lessons and I didn’t find that in this book. I’m hopeful that the next two books in the series get into more of that as they are more specialized.

In short if you’re brand new to this wonderful world of digital photography and you want to learn what it means to take your camera out of the AUTO mode this would be a great book for you. If you’re already shooting outside of AUTO and you have a basic understanding of the different settings and functions of your camera than I would say save yourself for another upcoming book review.

As promised I’ll be giving this book (very gently read) away to one of our readers. Please leave a comment on this post if you’d like to win it. The winner will be announced on Monday – and for those of you that commented on the first post where I gave a “freebie” copy of this book away, you’ll get two entries.

Freebie: Share a Photography Tip for a Chance to Win a $50 Gift Card

Tiffany Joyce — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:28:00 +0000

We’re all about sharing our photography tips and tricks here at Beyond Megapixels because we like making information accessible for all. Now we’re asking you, dear readers, to share some of yours.

As you know, when you purchase something from Amazon.com through our links, we receive a small commission for those sales which helps keep this site running. We planned on using the earnings for a design overhaul, but we’ve decided to give back what we’ve earned from these sales thus far to our readers. A $50 Amazon.com gift card is now up for grabs!

Here’s what you can do to win it:

1. Publish a post containing a photo you took and an explanation of the technique/s you used in creating it. Just write a short paragraph or two containing useful tips and tricks you’ve employed in creating your photo, whether it’s about composition, lighting, or post-processing. Publish your entry on your blog or on your Flickr account.

The draw is random, so your tip doesn’t have to be complicated – we’re NOT judging you by how elaborate your tip is so no worries if you’re still a beginner. You can certainly join in! Don’t be intimidated; we all have something to learn from each other.

2. Leave a comment here with a link back to your post.

3. Your entry has to be published between now and the deadline which is September 26, 2008 at 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Your comment here also has to be submitted before the deadline for it to count. The winner will be announced on the 27th.

That’s all you have to do to enter, but if you can, do let others know about this giveaway, too. The more people who join, the more information is made accessible to all, which really is the point of all this.

You can submit a maximum of three entries. One legitimate post counts as one entry. Leave a separate comment here for each post you want to enter. If we particularly like your submission, we’ll feature it here with your permission.

Comments are moderated to screen entries so don’t worry if it takes a while for yours to show. Good luck, and we look forward to reading your entries soon.

Update: Random.org gave us entry #3 as the winner. Congratulations, Anna!

The Digital Photography Companion Giveaway

Tiffany Joyce — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:12:00 +0000

Jeff and I were contacted a couple of weeks ago by O’Reilly Media, asking if we write book reviews, and whether we would like to look at a copy of this beginner-friendly book. It’s The Digital Photography Companion, by professional photographer and teacher Derrick Story (who incidentally is also a blogger over at The Digital Story). It’s been getting rave reviews on Amazon and I’m intrigued.

Anyway, we’ll be writing a review when we receive our copy, but in the meantime, we have two extra copies of the book up for grabs! O’Reilly is giving two Beyond Megapixels readers a copy each. To get a chance at winning a free copy, just leave a comment. You can tell us about how you got started in photography and/or suggest an article for us to write about. But really, since the winners will be selected at random (we’ll be using random.org to pick the two), you can even just say hi. This is open to all readers (that means you). You may only enter once. Comments are moderated so it might take a while for your comment to show.

If you don’t have a website, blog, or a Flickr account that you can sign your comment with, you can choose to leave your e-mail address in your comment in this format: yourusername AT yourmailprovider DOT com. Jeff and I will need some way to get in touch you if you win so we can get your shipping address. If we can’t reach you, your entry doesn’t count.

The raffle will close on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time. We’ll announce the winners on August 21.
—

August 21 Update: Congratulations, Leah and Samantha!

Thanks to everyone who joined! It was so great hearing from you guys. We took note of your article suggestions and we will be writing about those soon enough.

The comments section was closed on the deadline, but we’re leaving the comments up for a couple of days more. After that, we’ll be making the comments private since there are a lot of e-mail addresses there.
—

August 23 Update: Took down all 74 comments. Thanks again, guys.