We're Moving!

After a number of issues with Blogger, and having heard good things from others who have made the switch, I have decided to make the move over to a Wordpress-based blog that will live on my webhost as part of my domain.

Also as part of the transition, I have decided to drop the "Soup Questions" part of the name - though it will still be part of my Blogger site, which will remain live indefinitely as a backup and archive - and going with simply Jason D. Moore Photography.

Content will remain as it has been with the Photoshop & Photography Blogroll and its associated series as well as the Geographic Composition project and new posts will be published on the new blog starting with this week's P&P Weekly.

So please, update your links and feeds to reflect the new blog at www.jasondmoore.com/blog.

Thanks for you patience in the move as I work out all of the bugs and I hope to see you at our new home!

-Jason

Geographic Composition #8: Circles

Welcome to week eight of Geographic Composition! Each week a number of my fellow photobloggers and I will submit an image based on a common theme from our scattered locations around the world. Even though the theme is the same, our own vision and view of the world when coupled with the geographic and cultural environment in which we live will shape the images we create and offer a varied interpretation on the topic of the week.

For this week, our theme is "circles." For one photographer it was about spead monitoring cameras. For another it was about a country's staple food. Two photographers looked towards nature for inspiration. One found circles at an amusement park and another in the momentary experience of a firework blast. And for another, it was about how a special circle formed something totally different when illuminated.

Please take a moment to view the participants' blogs and also, if you have any suggestions for future themes, please leave a comment below.

Thanks, and Enjoy!

"Circle of Strife"
Mike Holley - Worcestershire, England
"Tortillas"
Jon Erikson - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
"Orb"
Jenny Arnez - Rancho Cardova, CA
"Cropped Circles"
Andrew Smith - Hanover, PA
"Gone In Six Seconds"
Erik Persson - Seattle, WA
"Dogwood"
Amy Archer - Sweden
"Heart In A Wedding Ring"
Jason D. Moore - North Syracuse, NY

P&P Blogger Profile: Derrick Story

Derrick Story of The Digital Story

(Photo Credit: George Jardine)

Derrick Story runs the popular photography blog titled, “The Digital Story” and writes for O’Reilly as their Digital Media Evangelist. He’s also a contributing writer for Macworld Magazine and author of several books on digital photography. His photography business, Story Photography, is based in Santa Rosa, CA.

Why do you blog?
Blogging is the most efficient way for me to share information on a daily basis. On TDS for example, I can write and publish a helpful tip in about 20 minutes (that thousands of people can read almost immediately). That’s fairly efficient. I like the blogging platform because it lets me focus on the message and not get too bogged down in the tools.

If you only had time to read three blogs a day, which ones would they be?
Aside from the blogs I oversee (TDS, Inside Aperture, Inside Lightroom, etc.), I enjoy scanning Engadget, PhotographyBLOG, and I must admit, I like The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs.

How long have you been using Photoshop/been a photographer?
I’ve been a photographer since my teenage years working for the local newspaper. I got hooked on Photoshop 2.5, and have been using the application ever since.

What type of camera(s) do you shoot with?
My assignment camera is a Canon 5D DSLR, and my favorite lenses are the 16-35 f/2.8 L II and the 70-200 f/4 L. But I like compact cameras too, especially ones that shoot good video also. My current pocket camera is the Canon PowerShot SD700. It takes great pictures, has image stabilization, and records clean video.

Mac or PC?
Intel Mac - MacBook Pro 17”

What is your favorite piece of photo or computer equipment (other than your camera)?
I think the iPhone is a great tool for photographers/bloggers on the go. I find that I’m doing a much better job of keeping up with email, monitoring my web sites, and communicating with clients and coworkers. Plus, it’s absolutely great for showing off photos, uploading images directly to Flickr, watching videos, and oh yeah, it’s a good music player too.

What piece of equipment would you most like to get but don’t have?
I would absolutely love to have the new Canon 1Ds Mark III, but I don’t see one in my near future. Anyone out there have a spare body they can lend me?

What advice do you have for a novice creative professional/photographer?
Get a photo buddy and/or become part of a photography community. If you have someone to go shooting with, and who will look critically at your photos, you will shoot more and improve faster. As for community, the nickname for The Digital Story is “your virtual camera club.” It’s a place for photographers to come together, learn new techniques, show off their pictures, and get feedback on their work. Being part of a community helps us improve as artists and craftsmen.

What inspires you to create?
I like to have things to show for my efforts. When I was working my way through college, I couldn’t generate enough income as a photographer only, so I mowed lawns too. Believe it or not, I found that work very satisfying because I could stand back and admire my work after I finished working on a yard.

Today, I can support myself making pictures and writing, and I find it very satisfying to create new things out of thin air.

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
Don’t take yourself too seriously. It inhibits growth and gets in the way of learning new things. Much better to have an open mind and be humble.

Where would you most like to live (other than where you live now)?
I live in a great place now (Sonoma County, CA), but I wouldn’t mind having an apartment in Vancouver BC too. I love the combination of Canadian-Pan Pacific culture with great outdoor activities.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I’m a walker. It’s a great form of exercise and allows me to clear the cobwebs out of my head.

What talent would you most like to have?
Wish I could sing...

From Inside the Actors Studio:
What is your favorite word? Fabulous
What is your least favorite word? Arrogant
What turns you on? Curves
What turns you off? Moody
What sound or noise do you love? Love to hear the sound of coffee brewing (the smell is not too bad too)
What sound or noise do you hate? Smacking lips and loud eating sounds.
What is your favorite curse word? Asshole
What occupation other than your own would you like to attempt? Always wanted to be a tour guide in exotic locations.
What occupation would you not want to participate in? Politician
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Whew, you just made it under the wire!

*Note: If you there is someone you would like to see as a part of the P&P Blogger Profile series, please email Jason with their blog's URL. Also, be sure to check out the P&P Weekly every Monday for news about this site and a roundup of what other Photoshop & Photography Blogroll members are posting.

PDF Sharing and Security

We just upgraded to Adobe Actobat 8 Professional for an upcoming project where we will be compiling a number of documents into an electronic (primarilly CD-based) journal and directory. Along with my registration of Acrobat, I received 30 days of free training via Lynda.com to help me get up to speed with the new features of this version of Acrobat.

Before gearing up to put together last year's edition of this same project, I was not very familiar with all of the capabilities of Acrobat. I'd, of course, used the free Adobe Reader and have printed to PDF with the distiller function that came with version 5.0 but hadn't done much else until working with 7.0 Pro.

Even with working on last year's project, I only dealt with the sections of the program that I needed to complete the tasks. There was a lot of trial and error and trubleshooting to make the final product function to the client's specifications. It wasn't extremely difficult, but we had our share of challenges to work through along the way.

Upon upgrading to Acrobat 8 Pro and viewing the training videos, I was not only surprised and delighted by the new features that will make this year's project go even smoother and allow the user experience to be all the more seamless (namely the ability to create PDF Packages!), but I was reminded of some security features that will be quite useful for other applications as well.

(To see what I'm working with, click here to download a PDF containing a number of images I've had as part of my NAPP Portfolio. - 6MB)

First of all, the security settings. If you are going to make a PDF available for download from your website or you will be sending it to someone to view samples of your work, you will want to make sure that your images are secure and someone won't be able to simply copy your photos to their computer or print them without permission.

Go to the "Secure" button in Acrobat and select "Password Encrypt" and click "Ok." You can look through the other options in the dialog box but the one we're concerned with is the "Permissions" section. Here, check the box that says, "Restrict the editing and printing of the document..." and enter a password - and remember it! Select your desired print and changes settings (I picked "none" for both) and leave the box marked "Enable copying of text, images, and other content" unchecked. This way, viewers can't download your images. When you click "Ok" you will be prompted to re-enter your password and told to save your document before the settings will take effect.

(Note: In the "Manage Security Policies" dialog you can create a preset if you plan to use the same security scheme a lot.)

If you allow users to print, or if you're worried about someone swiping your images using the "Print Screen" function, you can add a watermark within Acrobat to add one more layer of protection.

Go to "Document>Watermark>Add" and in the dialog box, insert your text, setup the appearance options, and click "Ok."

To combine these two security techniques, apply your watermark before you apply the security profile, otherwise you won't be able to change the settings without removing the security settings and re-saving the file.

Brent Singley

When reviewing my blog stats the other day, I noticed a link from the blog of photographer Brent Singley. It appears to be a relatively new blog without a great number of photos posted yet, but the ones that are look great. Have a look!

Photo copyright Brent Singley.

P&P Weekly: #47

Here’s what’s been happening this week in The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll:

• Amy of 2007 Picture a day (or week) - "Lifeboat" and "Sunny days"
• Paul of A Clean Well-Lighted Place - "#6268"
• Kathleen of A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania - "Sunny the Hereford in the Late Day Sun"
• Bruce of Bruce L. Snell Photography - "Inter-Tribal Pow Wow"
• Chris of Chis Orwig Photography - "annika - Sept. 6" and "photographic legend jay maisel"
• Mike of Creative Outlet and simply photography is back. He will be joining us in the weekly Geographic Composition project.
• Dave at BeckermanPhoto.com - "Tango Central Park, III"
• Dave at Dave Cross Online has been pretty busy at Photoshop World in Las Vegas.
• David of Digital ProTalk has some great shots from his Photoshop World pre-conference wedding shoot. And "Lifestyles of the Rich"
• Erik of Erik Persson Photography - "Online"
• Richard of Europe in Black and White has just finished framing a large print.
• Jeff of Jeff's Photo Gallery was able to get his hands on Nikon's new D3 and D300 at Photoshop World.
• John of John Nack on Adobe shares a link to a recent 13 gigapixel image of Harlem.
• Matt of Lightroom Killer Tips has a little Lightroom Q&A. And over at Photoshop Killer Tips Matt talks about a type effect, stopping an action, sharpening edges, and non-destructive dodge and burn.
• Lynda of One Day at a Time - "Red Horn"
• Jim of PHOTOBLOG By Jim Larimer - "Wash Day"
• Scott of Photoshop Insider has a number of updates from Photoshop World.
• Jon at San Miguel Photo of the Day - "Cardone Espinas"
• Shooter at Serial Photographer - "Untitled #71"
• David of Strobist has post about an off-photographer camera and a good idea for lighting a car interior.
• Terry of Terry White's Tech Blog shares his thoughts on Apple's new line of iPods.
• Andy of The Global Photographer tells of photographic safari best practices.
• Andy of Visual Realia - "Eyes Open"
• Aaron of What the Duck - "WTD #298"
• Ben of Where is Ben? survived Vegas.

Update your blogs often! I will only include links to posts added since the last P&P Weekly.

As always, if you have any suggestions or notice a discrepancy, please email me.

Geographic Composition #7: Danger

Welcome to week seven of Geographic Composition! Each week a number of my fellow photobloggers and I will submit an image based on a common theme from our scattered locations around the world. Even though the theme is the same, our own vision and view of the world when coupled with the geographic and cultural environment in which we live will shape the images we create and offer a varied interpretation on the topic of the week.

For this week, our theme is "danger."

Please take a moment to view the participants' blogs and also, if you have any suggestions for future themes, please leave a comment below.

Thanks, and Enjoy!

"Cardone Espinas Macro with Lens Baby"
Jon Erikson - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
"Violent Nature"
Amy Archer - Sweden
"Hot"
Jason D. Moore - North Syracuse, NY
"Terminal Thought"
Andrew Smith - Hanover, PA
"Down & Out"
Erik Persson - Seattle, WA
"Heat of the Moment"
Mike Holley - Worcestershire, England

Kelby Training

Just announced during the Photoshop World keynote, Friend-of-the-Blog Scott Kelby just launched his new site Kelby Training - "the most comprehensive educational resource for photographers, graphic designers, and creative professionals using the Adobe Creative Suite."

From the release on the NAPP site Scott tells us:

“We share our student’s passion for creativity, and as the leading resource for Photoshop educational DVDs, live training seminars, online classes, and award-winning books, it’s our job to not only boost their Photoshop skill level and give them a competitive advantage, but to make the whole process just like our training – easy, fun, and straight-to-the-point.”

Check it out!

Lighting A Background

Last week when we were shooting interviews for a capital campaign video we were faced with the situation that we had many individuals on the schedule back-to-back without the time to setup in multiple locations to provide for a variety of backgrounds.

Anticipating this would be the case, we brought our entire light kit and a blue mottled background. We lit the subjects as normal - a Lowel Rifa-lite soft box as a key light and a Lowel ViP Pro-light for a backlight - and we added one of our Lowel Omni-lights for the background.

In order to provide variation using this single background, I draped the background cloth over a pair of stands with a crossbar and gathered the cloth in various configurations, securing it with a number of clips. We rarely properly fold this background because the wrinkles and creases actually add to the texture of the cloth, adding more interest.

Using the Omni with different colored gels set to either the lower left or right, only slightly forward of the background, I was able to create lots of shadow and more options than using the cloth alone.

Also, it is important to place your subject far enough in front of the background so that while you are focused on the subject the background will blur. Remember to use your depth of field to allow the viewer to focus their attention on the subject. If we had a larger space to work in, we would have actually placed the background farther back in order to make it even more abstract.

Below, you can see a layout of our setup from both an overhead and front view.

Too Hot!

I was doing some shooting around the apartment tonight (don't worry, Kim's fine - bad joke) for this week's Geographic Composition entry. I have a variation on the same scene that I'll actually be posting for the project but thought I'd pop this one up as a teaser for Friday's "danger."

P&P Weekly: #46

Hope everyone in the US had a restful Labor Day Weekend!


Here’s what’s been happening this week in The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll:

• Amy of 2007 Picture a day (or week) - "Violent Nature"
• Paul of A Clean Well-Lighted Place - "#6294"
• Kathleen of A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania - "Mr. Darcy (A Baby Pygmy Goat)"
• Bruce of Bruce L. Snell Photography - "September Morning"
• Chris of Chis Orwig Photography - "chalk"
• Dave at BeckermanPhoto.com - "Information, Metropolitan Museum"
• Dave at Dave Cross Online talks about his Kata knapsack camera bag.
• David of Digital ProTalk is our newest member - Welcome! - and he shares his latest photos, photo tips, and processing techniques.
• Erik of Erik Persson Photography - "Catch the Wind"
• Richard of Europe in Black and White has an article about how he packages his photos for shipping.
• Jeff of Jeff's Photo Gallery has a new blog address and a couple of nice shots from Coyote Buttes.
• Joey of Joey Lawrence: Perception has a post about a music video he shot.
• John of John Nack on Adobe reassures us that most of your photos suck and shares some uncategorized links - including one to my recent profile of him.
• Matt of Lightroom Killer Tips has a video about DNG, shares the photography of Karen Kuehn and a couple more of his Friday Tips. And over at Photoshop Killer Tips Matt talks about fixing gaps in teeth, opening a new window, custom keyboard shortcuts, and taking a snapshot in Photoshop.
• Lynda of One Day at a Time - "My Pleasure"
• Jenny at Photo Two-Twenty shares her shot from this week's Geographic Composition.
• Jim of PHOTOBLOG By Jim Larimer shares a couple of his latest prints.
• Scott of Photoshop Insider got to shoot on the sidelines at a Bears game.
• Justin of Photoshop Quicktips shares some tips for your Photoshop productivity.
• Jon at San Miguel Photo of the Day posts images of life in Mexico. "Doorway to a Ruin"
• Shooter at Serial Photographer - "Untitled #69"
• Mike of Simply Photography - "The Royal Box"
• David of Strobist talks about assembling an inexpensive camera bag.
• Terry of Terry White's Tech Blog wrote about Apple's new ringtone app, iToner.
• Clayton of The C Spot has some final thoughts about his What the Duck bass.
• Andy of The Global Photographer - "Sunset from Mount Kilimanjaro"
• Andy of Visual Realia - "Yielding Shade"
• Aaron of What the Duck - "WTD #291"
• Martin of What the Heck Journal - "Coupe de Ville"
• Ben of Where is Ben? has been exploring Minneapolis.

Update your blogs often! I will only include links to posts added since the last P&P Weekly.

As always, if you have any suggestions or notice a discrepancy, please email me.

Geographic Composition #6: Alone

Welcome to week six of Geographic Composition! Each week a number of my fellow photobloggers and I will submit an image based on a common theme from our scattered locations around the world. Even though the theme is the same, our own vision and view of the world when coupled with the geographic and cultural environment in which we live will shape the images we create and offer a varied interpretation on the topic of the week.

For this week, our theme is "alone."

Please take a moment to view the participants' blogs and also, if you have any suggestions for future themes, please leave a comment below.

Thanks, and Enjoy!

Jenny Arnez - Rancho Cardova, CA
"Jo Ann and Maguey with Lensbaby 3 B&W"
Jon Erikson - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
"Solo"
Andrew Smith - Hanover, PA
"This Path We Follow"
Erik Persson - Seattle, WA
Jason D. Moore - North Syracuse, NY

My First HDR Image

For the last couple of days we were out in Western New York on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution doing interviews and gathering footage for a capital campaign video for a client of ours. (By the way, the interviews we did yielded some great quotes for the video, but I also feel they were some of my best work. I'll grab a few screen shots and post them next week.)

Anyway, back to the image above. This is the sanctuary of the church we were shooting in and while we were packing up I thought I would take the opportunity to try out the whole HDR thing. For this image, I took 5 bracketed exposures with my D200 on a tripod and processed using CS2's Merge to HDR function.

Once the image was made, I converted to 16bit and changed the drop-down menu option to "Local Adaptation" and made some adjustments to the curve - most importantly, moving the black point to the left edge of the histogram. Basically, I followed the same process as outlined in the posts I linked to on Tuesday.

This was just my first outing with HDR and, I must say, I really like the crisp-ness of the image and more true-to-life result. I can't wait to do some more experimenting. (Also, just a note about the image, unfortunately, the shadows on the cross make it look like there's a motion blur, which is unfortunate, and a little distracting.)

Digital ProTalk Blog

Upon watching this week's episode of Photoshop User TV, I found out that renown wedding photographer and instructor David Ziser has a new blog called Digital ProTalk. David is an amazing photographer and, after sitting in on his Marketing 101 class at Photoshop World in Boston this past spring, I can attest to his great skill as an educator as well.

I am always in search of interesting blogs to add to my list of "Must Reads" and the equally interesting bloggers behind them to profile for my P&P Blogger Profile series. So, noticing that David is now part of the photoblogger community I sent him an invitation to fill out a profile. (You will be able to read his profile soon!)

To my surprise, about an hour or two after I sent the email, the phone at my desk rang and it was David on the other end. I have been repeatedly amazed by the approachability and genuine friendliness of the many photographers and Photoshop experts that I have encountered through the blog and in person at Photoshop World. And David was no exception.

On his blog, David posts photos from his latest shoots, tips on how to take better photos, and techniques to make the most out of Photoshop and Lightroom to help guide you in the right direction as you develop your photographic skills.

Stop by his blog to check out some fantastic photography and excellent tips. Welcome to the blogroll, David!

*Just a note: I will be working out of town in Chautauqua, NY Wednesday and Thursday this week. I'll try to have something to post when I return on Thursday but it won't be up until later in the evening. Until then, check out the Photoshop & Photography Blogroll member blogs and be sure to meet me back here Friday for this week's Geographic Composition. -Jason

Photoshop User TV...Again!

Another special thanks to Friends-of-the-Blog Scott Kelby and Matt Kloskowski for mentioning this blog for a second time on the show making reference to my recent profile of John Nack. Thanks Guys!

For those of you who may be linking here via Photoshop User TV and have never been here before, in addition to my normal weekday posts, every Monday I write a roundup of what members of my Photoshop & Photography Blogroll are posting (view the list on the right). Also, each Friday a number of my fellow bloggers and I post images on a common weekly theme in our Geographic Composition project. In addition, I have a number of P&P Blogger Profiles that I have accumulated over the past year which you can find by clicking here.

Thanks again for the mention! And thanks to all of you for stopping by!

Creating HDR Images

I just came across this post from Ryan McGinnis over at Backing Winds via Friend-of-the-Blog Jeff Revell.

Both Jeff and Ryan take us through the process of creating HDR (high dynamic range) images using Photoshop CS2's (and CS3's) "Merge to HDR" function.

I have never done anything with HDR myself, mainly because I was never sure about what it was or how it worked. Basically, when your scene has a wide range of tonal values where you want to keep as much of the detail in the highlight and shadow areas of your image as possible.


With HDR, you merge multiple images of the same scene taken at different exposures in order to create a photo that is closer to what you actually see with your own eye.


Ryan McGinnis' post on Backing Winds does a great job of taking you step by step through the process. One thing he mentions, though, that is important to note is what you need to do in-camera prior to uploading the files to your computer.

1. Shoot in RAW. RAW files, by their nature, carry more dynamic range and are better for creating HDR images.
2. Use a tripod. Because you will be merging multiple exposures of the same scene, it is a must that your camera is locked down. If possible, use a cable release.
3. Use your camera's bracketing function. Many DSLRs have an option that will automatically adjust the exposure by a set increment each time your trigger the shutter for a set number of shots (at least 3 but 5-7 is recommended). Your camera will take a "properly" exposed version, one underexposed, and one over exposed - or more if you choose to take 5-7.

Once you create your HDR image (now a 32bit image) you will want to convert it to 16bit. When you make the conversion you'll have the chance to adjust a curve to bring out the most detail and contrast for your shot.


Have fun!

P&P Weekly: #45

Here’s what’s been happening this week in The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll:

• Amy of 2007 Picture a day (or week) - "Death Valley Tree" (one of my favorites this week)
• Paul of A Clean Well-Lighted Place - "#6348"
• Kathleen of A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania - "Cattle Show, 2007 Grange Fair"
• Bruce of Bruce L. Snell Photography - "Ellyce and Chris"
• Chris of Chis Orwig Photography - "dad's view"
• Dave at BeckermanPhoto.com - "Guitar Player, Subway"
• Dave at Dave Cross Online sends us an update from his teaching cruise to Alaska.
• Erik of Erik Persson Photography recently met Bruce Willis.
• Mike at eyes on the road really wants a Nikon D3.
• Jeff of Jeff's Photo Gallery a great wave image.
• John of John Nack on Adobe does some photographic pondering.
• Matt of Lightroom Killer Tips talks about upsizing in Lightroom. And over at Photoshop Killer Tips Matt talks about a pen tool tip and a tip about creating really tiny type.
• Lynda of One Day at a Time - "No Longer Owned"
• Jenny at Photo Two-Twenty has a greatly textured shot from this week's Geographic Composition.
• Scott of Photoshop Insider reviews some of his equipment.
• Jon at San Miguel Photo of the Day posts images of life in Mexico. "Sombrero Viejo y la Plumas"
• Shooter at Serial Photographer - "Life's a Beach"
• David of Strobist has a post about Annie Liebovitz and the (red) campaign.
• Terry of Terry White's Tech Blog is our newest member - Welcome! - always has some great reviews on the latest gadgets.
• Clayton of The C Spot has been reconstructing his WTD Bass Guitar.
• Andy of The Global Photographer will be leading an off the beaten path photo workshop in Moab, Utah.
• Andy of Visual Realia and I really like his GC contribution "The Sound of E"
• Aaron of What the Duck - "WTD #288"
• Martin of What the Heck Journal - "Vintage"
• Ben of Where is Ben? recently had an interview in After Capture Magazine.

Update your blogs often! I will only include links to posts added since the last P&P Weekly.

As always, if you have any suggestions or notice a discrepancy, please email me.

Geographic Composition #5: Metal

Welcome to week five of Geographic Composition! Each week a number of my fellow photobloggers and I will submit an image based on a common theme from our scattered locations around the world. Even though the theme is the same, our own vision and view of the world when coupled with the geographic and cultural environment in which we live will shape the images we create and offer a varied interpretation on the topic of the week.

For this week, our theme is "metal." The selections this week range from the aged to the artistic to musical, to the commemorative.

Please take a moment to view the participants' blogs and also, if you have any suggestions for future themes, please leave a comment below.

Thanks, and Enjoy!

"Crazy Little Curve"
Erik Persson - Seattle, WA
"Rusted"
Jason D. Moore - North Syracuse, NY
"Remembering 9/11: a WTC beam up close"
Jenny Arnez - Rancho Cardova, CA
"Horns"
Amy Archer - Sweden "Father Hidalgo"
Jon Erikson - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
"Sound of E"
Andrew Smith - Hanover, PA

P&P Blogger Profile: Terry White

Terry White of Terry White's Tech Blog

Terry White - Director, North America Creative Pro Core Business for Adobe Systems, Inc.
Terry has been with Adobe for over a decade and has extensive knowledge of Adobe’s Creative Professional product line.
In his current position, he leads a team of Solution Engineers and Product Specialists that focus on Professional Publishing and Web Authoring.
Terry is an Adobe Certified Expert and Creative Suite Master.
He has been active in the industry for over 20 years and is the founder and president of MacGroup-Detroit – Michigan’s largest Macintosh users group and is a columnist for Layers Magazine and X-Ology Magazine. Terry is the host of the top ranked Adobe Creative Suite Video Podcast.
He is also the author of Secrets of the Adobe Bridge and co-author of The iPhone Book and InDesign CS/CS2 Killer Tips. Terry is a key presenter at major industry shows around the world.

Why do you blog?
I enjoy sharing my ideas and reviews with others.

If you only had time to read three blogs a day, which ones would they be?
Photoshop Insider
Engadget
Macsimumnews

How long have you been using Photoshop/been a photographer?
Photoshop since version 2.5
Serious photographer since 2004

What type of camera(s) do you shoot with?
Nikon D80

Mac or PC?
Mac

What is your favorite piece of photo or computer equipment (other than your camera)?
Spiderlite TD5

What piece of equipment would you most like to get but don’t have?
Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF VR Zoom Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8D G-AFS ED-IF Autofocus Lens (Vibration Reduction) - Black

What advice do you have for a novice creative professional/photographer?
Less is more!

What inspires you to create?
Seeing something out there and thinking to myself, “I could do that and maybe even better.”

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
Be of your word.

Where would you most like to live (other than where you live now)?
Somewhere warm year round, perhaps Hawaii

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Swim, write

What talent would you most like to have?
Singing

From Inside the Actors Studio:
What is your favorite word? Success
What is your least favorite word? Failure
What turns you on? Intelligent people
What turns you off? Racism
What sound or noise do you love? Silence
What sound or noise do you hate? Crickets
What is your favorite curse word? F@*k
What occupation other than your own would you like to attempt? Comedian
What occupation would you not want to participate in? Fast Food
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Glad you’re here.

*Note: If you there is someone you would like to see as a part of the P&P Blogger Profile series, please email Jason with their blog's URL. Also, be sure to check out the P&P Weekly every Monday for news about this site and a roundup of what other Photoshop & Photography Blogroll members are posting.

A Few More From Last Week

(Sorry for the delay in posting and for the error messages you may have seen. Apparently Blogger was experiencing some server issues which kept me from posting and you from viewing. Appologies for any inconvenience.)

Here are three more shots from our outing last week. Two of them were thoughts I had for the "On The Go" theme for last week's Geographic Composition but because I wasn't using our on-car camera rig (used primarily for video) they were a tad blurrier than I would've liked - though a little bit of blur adds a little something, given the theme. The other is a shot I took while laying down in a corn field just before taking the shots for this composite.

P&P Blogger Profile: John Nack

John Nack of John Nack on Adobe

John Nack is a Sr. Product Manager for Adobe Photoshop. Prior to joining Adobe John was a web designer and animator at AGENCY.COM New York, where we developed online content for clients such as Gucci, Nike, British Airways, and Coca-Cola. That experience convinced him that design tools could and had to be better, leading him to join Adobe in 2000, working on the web animation tool in LiveMotion. John has been on the Photoshop team since 2002 and has worked on features such as Adobe Camera Raw, Smart Objects, Vanishing Point, the File Browser, and Adobe Bridge.

Why do you blog?
I’m inspired, both personally and professionally, by the work I see going on in photography, design, typography, and other creative fields. I’m grateful for other folks who take the time to share interesting finds, and I like to return the favor when I can. With my job it’s easy to get lost in the weeds, thinking that Photoshop and other software is an end unto itself, rather than a means to various creative ends. Sharing and reflecting on creative work helps me keep some perspective.

If you only had time to read three blogs a day, which ones would they be?
Tough question! I really like Core77 for their eclectic, well-edited mix of design-related info. I rely on the MXNA, Adobe’s (formerly Macromedia’s) aggregator of Web design-related feeds, for info on technology developments. And I enjoy The Online Photographer’s perspective on gear and developments in the world of photography.

How long have you been using Photoshop/been a photographer?
I started using Photoshop my freshman year in college, 1993. I was used to MacPaint-class tools, so when my friend pointed out Photoshop, it was a real revelation.

As for photography, I’ve had an interest as long as I can remember. As a little kid I used to snap away as much as my parents’ film budget would allow, and when they first got an SLR I loved experimenting with things like shutter speed.

Unfortunately I was too lazy to really learn enough, so I ended up drawing more as that came easily to me (and didn’t cost much!).

What type of camera(s) do you shoot with?
I own a Canon Rebel XT, which for most of my needs is great. Lately I find myself rather hungrily contemplating a 5D, though first I think I should invest in some better glass. Of course, I’m reminded of what my friend says when he teaches at high-performance driving schools on the weekends: if most of those guys invested a tenth as much into learning how to use the gear as they put into the gear itself, they’d be way better off than they are. Therefore I continue to want to make time to take more classes. Too bad it’s so much easier just to plunk down cash for gear than it is to become a better photographer.

Mac or PC?
Mac, since ’84. :)

What is your favorite piece of photo or computer equipment (other than your camera)?
I love Wacom tablets, though I’m sorry to say that my job keeps me in email far more than it lets me stretch my legs in Photoshop. That said, I find a tablet invaluable for any kind of drawing or retouching work.

What piece of equipment would you most like to get but don’t have?
Well, the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is a real beauty. I think the 5D would be great for indoor low-light shooting, and the 24-70mm f/2.8 lens would be a step forward there as well. I’d also like to start experimenting with polarizers and graduated neutral density filters.

What advice do you have for a novice creative professional/photographer?
Get out there! The picture you take or design you create is infinitely better than the one you don’t create. I think that patience and humility are essential. Just as with exercise, music, or most other worthwhile pursuits, know that your skills will take time to mature. Try not to take the work or yourself too seriously, and enjoy the process.

What inspires you to create?
I’d like the world to be a little more beautiful, a little happier, a little more truthful by virtue of my having been here.

What would be your most important piece of advice about life?
Good grief; how about, “Don’t take a self-absorbed 30-ish software dude or his pronouncements too seriously!” ;-)

Where would you most like to live (other than where you live now)?
Heh—not San Jose. I live here strictly because it’s where I work, and I didn’t want to waste my life commuting. I still miss New York.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
What is this “spare time” of which you speak…?

What talent would you most like to have?
Being made of liquid metal (mimetic poly-alloy).

From Inside the Actors Studio:
What is your favorite word? Passion
What is your least favorite word? Apathy
What turns you on? Possibility
What turns you off? Pomposity
What sound or noise do you love? I love steel guitar. And I smile when hearing just about any native instrument (steel drum, Peruvian flute, sitar, etc.) made to play The Godfather Waltz on a subway platform.
What sound or noise do you hate? The drone of meetings, and the bitching of suckaz.
What is your favorite curse word? Teabag.
What occupation other than your own would you like to attempt? Ice road trucker.
What occupation would you not want to participate in? Processing anything bought or sold…
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? You’re okay, kid. You done good.

*Note: If you there is someone you would like to see as a part of the P&P Blogger Profile series, please email Jason with their blog's URL. Also, be sure to check out the P&P Weekly every Monday for news about this site and a roundup of what other Photoshop & Photography Blogroll members are posting.

P&P Weekly: #44

Coming up tomorrow you can read a P&P Blogger Profile of Adobe's Sr. Product Manager for Photoshop, John Nack!

In the meantime, here’s what’s been happening this week in The Photoshop & Photography Blogroll:

• Amy of 2007 Picture a day (or week) - "Little Bird"
• Paul of A Clean Well-Lighted Place - "#6152"
• Kathleen of A Walk Through Durham Township, Pennsylvania - "Jenn Gets the Guillotine at the Grange Fair"
• Bruce of Bruce L. Snell Photography - "USD 437" Great Stuff!
• Chris of Chis Orwig Photography - reflections at the harbor today
• Dave at BeckermanPhoto.com - "Gotham from Manhattan Bridge" and "Lenox Avenue"
• Dave at Dave Cross Online is off to teach on a cruise to Alaska, poor guy!
• Richard of Europe in Black and White is processing is images from his summer travels.
• Mike at eyes on the road profiles photographer Bob Krist.
• Jeff of Jeff's Photo Gallery has a great pano of the Grand Canyon - be sure to click on the link at the bottom of the post for the full size, scrollable version.
• Joey of Joey Lawrence: Perception has been sharing some recent "fan" mail.
• John of John Nack on Adobe has some links for Lightroom web galleries.
• Matt of Lightroom Killer Tips has a video about creating a desaturated effect. And over at Photoshop Killer Tips Matt talks about HTML color, smart guides, global light, and saving your own layer styles.
• Jenny at Photo Two-Twenty - "A Tire for Three"
• Scott of Photoshop Insider has been shooting out west and shares a story of his "fun" experience in Monument Valley.
• Jon at San Miguel Photo of the Day posts images of life in Mexico. "Another Sunflower"
• Shooter at Serial Photographer - "Camelot"
• David of Strobist has a post on Umbrella Specular Portraits.
• Andy of The Global Photographer is off to Seattle for some lectures on his African adventures.
• Tom of Tom Moore Fine Art Photography - "Heather and Robert"
• Andy of Visual Realia has some great city shots from Harrisburg. Some of his best that I've seen. Nice work, Andy!
• Aaron of What the Duck - "WTD #282"
• Martin of What the Heck Journal - "Rocket Science"
• Ben of Where is Ben? - "Empire Truck Rental" and "Hazelgreen, MO"

Update your blogs often! I will only include links to posts added since the last P&P Weekly.

As always, if you have any suggestions or notice a discrepancy, please email me.

Geographic Composition #4: On the Go

Welcome to week four of Geographic Composition! Each week a number of my fellow photobloggers and I will submit an image based on a common theme from our scattered locations around the world. Even though the theme is the same, our own vision and view of the world when coupled with the geographic and cultural environment in which we live will shape the images we create and offer a varied interpretation on the topic of the week.

For this week, our theme is "on the go." Images of driving seem to dominate this week's selections, though we also have a sweet scene of ducks and a shot of a speedy rider.

Please take a moment to view the participants' blogs and also, if you have any suggestions for future themes, please leave a comment below.

Thanks, and Enjoy!

"RPM"
Andrew Smith - Hanover, PA
"PeMex"
Jon Erikson - San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
"Horse and Rider"
Jenny Arnez - Rancho Cardova, CA
Jason D. Moore - North Syracuse, NY
"The Chase is On"
Erik Persson - Seattle, WA