Moving On
December 5th, 2011
Getting back to the account of our trip out west…After spending some time at Goblin Valley, we moved on to Little Wild Horse Canyon, a nearby slot canyon. We had planned to dedicate a day to each of these locations, but thanks to the deer in Nebraska we were reduced to just one day for shooting in this general area. So we headed over that way when the sun got high in the sky and more people started wandering around in Goblin Valley.
But, before we even got to the slot canyon I spotted these two trees that just looked wonderful to me. And they looked even better with Brooke posing between them. I love the light and the contrast of textures.
Next post: Into the slot canyon.
For those who are paying attention to the technical stuff, this photo was first processed from the original NEF file in DxO Optics Pro. It was output from that program as a DNG file which I then opened in Corel PaintShop Pro for a bit of tweaking before I reduced the size and saved it as a jpeg for use here. In a week or so when I have more time I’ll download the ACDSee professional program trial and see what I think of it. But I’ve already learned that there are plenty of high quality alternatives to Adobe’s product at much more reasonable cost. Now it’s just a matter of chosing the one(s) I like best and that give me the best results with the least pain.
Corel…hmmmm…
December 3rd, 2011
I downloaded a trial of Corel PaintShop Pro today and gave it a try. I’m impressed. Not exactly the same as PhotoShop, of course, but a very useful, versatile program that looks like it could do everything I need at a very reasonable cost and no issues with upgrades or RAW processing for new cameras. Looks very good. I used it to edit the photo above, another shot from Goblin Valley with Brooke and Kat.
This could be the program I’ve been looking for. I’m still playing with DxO Optics Pro, though, and I just might end up buying it and PaintShop Pro…and still pay less than the cost of an upgrade for PhotoShop.
I think Adobe may have permanently lost this customer.
Goblin Valley
December 2nd, 2011
We return now to the days of Yestermonth. Our heros are finally freed from their Bambi-imposed stranding in less-than-scintilating town of Alliance, Nebraska. The truck is repaired and they set out again on their search of the southwest for beauty and art. After a breathtaking drive through Denver and over the Rockies at sunset they arrived in another town with not much to offer, Green River, Utah.
But, though Green River isn’t much to talk about, it is very close to some of them most amazing landscapes on this planet. We had planned to spend three days here exploring all that local beauty, but Bambi’s attack on the truck meant we only had one day to take it all in. First stop: Goblin Valley.
What an amazing place. Miles of small hoodoos, side by side, filling the valley. Not many people around. We had no problem doing our work without an audience.
Of course, the lovely models are Brooke Lynne and Kat. They had a pretty good time here. It was wonderful to get back to what we came out there to do after the three days of boredom waiting for the truck to be ready for the road again.
These photos were processed in DxO Optics Pro, but then exported as DNG files and worked on some more in Camera Raw and PhotoShop CS4. DxO didn’t seem to like that the rocks are red. It wanted to make them gray. A simple adjustment of the color balance did most of the correction needed. I hope I can learn how to fine tune what DxO does so that I can get it right in there. I love the way DxO sharpens and I’m pretty much ok with the optical corrections it does. I’m still thinking about those optical corrections, though. It knows what camera and lens I’m using and it “fixes” all the optical issues that the combination has. Problem is that I actually like the way my lens performs…I like some of those optical problems. So how I handle that will be an on-going exploration.
But for now I can say that I like what DxO is doing in general. And, it does it all automatically, so my time spent at the computer messing around with the files is reduced…and I like that.
Boycott Adobe
December 2nd, 2011
I’ve ranted here about Adobe before. I was upset when I found that they were not supporting the last version of PhotoShop, CS4, just one version back from the current CS5. That meant that I could not process the RAW files from my Nikon D7000 with CS4. I don’t upgrade every time Adobe comes out with a new version, usually skipping one version. I find that works much better for me and my budget. So I had to find another way to work with my RAW files, since I planned to wait for CS6 to do an upgrade. I did that by buying Elements 9 which includes the exact same RAW processing engine as CS5. That’s been working ok, although Adobe would only let me install Elements on two of my three computers, so I had pick one that would not have the ability to do RAW processing.
And I wrote a nasty letter to Adobe expressing my displeasure. Well, they must have heard me because they have now made an announcement that they are no longer going to allow upgrades from earlier versions of PhotoShop. So, when CS6 comes out, if I don’t already have CS5 I won’t be able to get the upgrade price, but will have to pay the full price for a new copy.
Well, that’s not going to happen.
I don’t do business with companies that abuse me like that. I won’t buy anything from Adobe unless and until they change that upgrade policy. That’s the last straw.
I urge you to do likewise. And to publicly express your dismay with this kind of abuse of the customers who have made PhotoShop the dominant product that it is. If we don’t rebel, we will continue to just be treated like ATMs that Adobe can use to withdraw money whenever the whim strikes them.
Meanwhile I’m looking for options to do my photo processing work. Right now I’m testing DxO Optics Pro. It looks promising, but I’m just getting started using it. I’ll be posting photos processed with it and writing about my experience using it over the next month while I can use the trial version. I’ll let you know what I think of it and if I decide to buy it.
DxO will not be a complete solution, though, even if I decide I like it. It doesn’t seem to have any print function, but is simply dedicated to processing images to produce an optimum file. So I’m looking at Qimage as a possible way to do my printing. I’ve had Qimage for many years and appreciated their promise of free upgrades forever. I have seldom used the program, though. I mainly used it to “up-rez” files to make large prints for a project several years ago. Overall I found it a bit complicated and hard to use for the simple job of printing, when I could just click print in another program.
But I pulled up my access code and went to their site to install the latest version on my current computer. Well, so much for free upgrades forever. The code wouldn’t work and it appears they have gotten around their promise by abandoning the program I have and introducing another “new” program that now has to be purchased. They do offer the option of getting a new key and downloading the last version of the old program…for a small fee. I’ve written to them to explain my situation, but haven’t gotten a response yet. I may just go ahead and pay the fee to reinstall the program I already bought and see how it works before deciding if I want to buy the new version. I’ll report here on how that goes too.
Calendar Discounts:
On a happier note, there are a couple discounts still available if you would like to buy one of my calendars:
Good through December 6: Free ground shipping by entering code SLEIGHRIDES
Good through December 31: 50% off with the code: HOLIDAYSUPERSAVINGS345 This one is limited to a total savings of $15.
Both of those discount codes can only be used once by each customer.
Now, I’m off to do some image processing with DxO and I’ll soon be posting the results here. Stand by.
Little Alice
November 29th, 2011
I’m slowly getting caught up on posting from my shoots from the past few months. Right before I left on my trip out west I did a shoot with a fine model who was down in Ohio from Chicago, Little Alice. This was the second time I’d shot with Little Alice, but our first chance to get outdoors and do some photos.
Mother Nature was not being good to us that day, unfortunately. It was a sunny day, which presented lighting challenges constantly. Add to that the fact that we were shooting in a new location for me, and it was more of a day of exploration than shooting. But Alice was wonderful. She’s a trooper and a very enjoyable model to work with. And we did manage to find a few spots where I could put together a composition without too much contrast from the direct sun.
My first shoot with Little Alice was a studio shoot for a project that has not yet been out in public, but which may soon be ready. And I do hope that I’ll be getting more opportunities to work with this beautiful lady in the future.
Now that I’m caught up to the start of the trip, I’ll be getting back to posting photos of Brooke and Kat that we did in some great locations out west. Coming soon to this very blog. Stay tuned.
Tuesday Calendar Discount
November 29th, 2011
Those discounts keep coming. I kind of wish the publisher would just do one for a few weeks and stop with the one-day specials, but I don’t have a say in that.
So, there’s a new discount today, Tuesday, November 29. And it’s good through tomorrow, November 30 at 11:59 p.m. Use the code CYBERTUESDAY at checkout and you’ll get a 30% discount on your order.
You can order here: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/wayward
November 27th, 2011
Calendar Discount
November 27th, 2011
Order your calendars today and you can save 25% by using this code at checkout: HOLIDAYNOW
Good only through today, November 27.
Or wait and order tomorrow, “Cyber Monday,” and you can take 30% off by using the code: CYBERMONDAY
But that one is only good tomorrow, November 28, until 11:59 PST. Looks like you can use the CYBERMONDAY discount starting now, so never mind about the other discount, use that one and save an extra 5%.
Order here: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/wayward
Gallery Banner
November 27th, 2011
The Darkroom Gallery just sent me a photo of my winning photo on the banner in the gallery window. Looks like it blew up to that size ok. The show at this gallery in Essex Junction, Vermont opens Tuesday, November 29. The opening reception for the show is December 9. If you are up in the Vermont area go check it out. I won’t be able to be there for the show, but I’m looking forward to visiting the gallery when I’m up there at the start of the new year.
It’s Calendar Time
November 21st, 2011
I’ve finally gotten around to doing some 2012 calendars. They are now available in my Lulu Store. You can see previews in my store, or look at the embedded previews right here.
There are two all new calendars, Coyote Buttes, featuring Brooke Lynne and Kat (above) and Blackhand Gorge, featuring Brooke Lynne and Artistic Physique (below)
And I’ve reworked my classic “Figure In Nature” calendar to include a few new photos along with many of my old favorites:
