July 17, 2009

Listen!

Listen!

  • #000: Intro to Pro Photo Minute
  • #001: Gear Preparation and the Hyperdrive UDMA

Pro Photo Minute is like quick version of Pro Photo Show recorded on the go from iPhone using Audio Boo. I think this is really neat and has so much potential. Just short simple informative podcasts a few minutes long and recorded on the go.

I’ve been on shoots many times and thought “I wish I was recording now” because while in the heat of the session something was inspiring or just made sense. This is my answer to that. Simple, no editing and amazing audio quality.

You can follow my Pro Photo Minute on AudioBoo and they’ll be posted to twitter when they go live as well. There will also be a category here on the site and I’m looking at how best to introduce it to the podcast feed.

Let me know what you think and we’ll see where it goes. Enjoy, Gavin Seim

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[poll id=”19″]

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July 16, 2009

Click To Listen>> Photography Podcast. PPS #60
Review in iTunes
, or Vote on Podcast Alley

The Panel... Gavin SeimTom Hogarty (LR product manager) – Dennis ZerwasRalph Barret
This week we talk about the E-P1, Lightroom, video becoming more than a weekend warrior and selling quality.

Podcast #60 forum discussion:

Notable Time Indexes:

  • 00:00 Introductions and news.
  • 20:27 OEM vs Aftermarket batteries.
  • 23:30 Lightroom.
  • 42:10 Video talk/Lightroom
  • 1:20:00 Moving Onward
  • 1:34:10 Competing, weekend warriors/The large print rant.
  • 1:53:55 Picks of the week
  • 2:07:30 Show ends. After show starts.
  • 2:18:30 Not Wearing Pants

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Olympus E-P1 is turning heads.

Pentax K7 SLR looks cool.

Tom explains Lightroom slowing image exports.

Hollywood Effects 2 and Portraitist actions are now available.

HDR workshop coming in the Fall.

Pro Photo Show has lots of vendor discounts. See the deals page.

Picks of the week…

Did I miss any links?

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July 7, 2009

by Gavin Seim. Updated 05/2012:
I enjoy quick bursts of information and chat frequently as @gavinseim on twitter.  I’ve made this list of my favorite tips that I plan to update it going forward. You can add your favorite and tips in the comments with your twitter name. I might even RT them myself.

I give credit to the speaker when I can, using names in parenthesis. Many of these are my own musings from Twitter and I’ve indicated myself with an (S). If there’s no name then I probably don’t know the source. These are not always exact quotes, but ideas I’ve re-formed to fit in under 140 characters on Twitter

Random Things:

  • Every image needs a subject. Just one. If it has less or more, than that it’s probably time to reboot. (S)
  • Presentation is as much part of a photo as the image itself. An image on a disk means little to the world. A well presented wall piece does. (S)
  • Don’t wait for the photo establishment to show you how to stand out. Because if you do, you won’t (S)
  • The line between a snapshot and a quality photograph are lost when everyone is a “photographer” but have not actually learned to be one! (S)
  • I’m not afraid to change my opinion, but I am afraid of not having one. (S)
  • Competition. A powerful tool that makes you stronger. Complaints about it are often cop outs from photographers not motivated enough to excel (S)
  • In photography rules mean conformity, and to conform is the opposite of creativity. (Whitmire)
  • Be Positive. It’s not just a blood type. (S)
  • Each time I think I’m really good, I learn that I’m not as great as I thought. Then I actually start getting really good (S)
  • Always do the best you can with what you have, but always push yourself to the next level. (S)
  • As photographers we often overlook the power of just practicing. It’s like giving ourselves our own workshop for free. (S)
  • Photography is painting with light. So if light is paint, why do we spend more time pressing buttons than mixing our paint? (S)
  • It’s not the location you take your photos in. It’s the photos you take in your location. Anything can be a good background. (S)
  • Being edgy is cool until everyone is doing it. Then it’s not edgy. It’s just boring and usually annoying. (S)
  • Every really good photograph I manage to make is a class in making the next one. (S)

Posing n more:

  • Portraits. Guys tilt the head towards the low shoulder = macho. Girls tilt head towards high shoulder = pretty (Celentano)
  • Bridal Portraits, Hold that bouquet on the hip to look thinner. Hands (and bouquets) held in front from make the bride look bigger. (Celentano)
  • Group portrait. Just before the shot have everyone lift up their shoulders and lean towards the center. (Celentano)
  • Portrait Tip: Look for triangles in your group poses. Use bodies, sitting, head position etc to form triangles. (Celentano)
  • If posture pose and light is correct it does not matter where the camera sits. The pose is still set. (Gardener)
  • Posing tip: If it bends, bend it. Play around with joints, elbows, fingers, everything.
  • Posing tip: Leave some open space between those bent elbows and the waist. Helps make your subject slim n trim. (S)
  • Don’t over pose the subjects in your groups. Their not solders, their free people. (Whitmire)

 

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July 3, 2009

I want to take a moment to plug a few new products over at my Seim Effects store, since these are what help keep this all going. I just released Hollywood Effects 2, the follow up to my first special effects actions for Photoshop. Also in a separate collection a brand new set of cool actions called Portraitist.

HE2 is filled with some pretty amazing effects. I love Lightroom, but it’s not a solo runner. These are the effects that simply can’t be done in LR and really make my best images shine. When you get HE2, it includes the Portraitist actions, which are my new skin retouching tools that perform tasks similar to expensive plugins, but right from an action and for a lot less money. They even include skin smoothing that retains detail in critical areas like eyes.

Anyways I’m stoked about how good they work. It’s the best actions I’ve ever made and has been a very successful release thanks to many of you. Of course I  still love Lightroom. You can find my presets there as well. If you want to learn more head over to Seim Effects. Other than that, have a great weekend… Gavin Seim

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June 21, 2009

Image from Despair INC. Their funny people.

by Gavin Seim: How often have you walked from of a business, annoyed at the lack of service? Businesses close everyday because people didn’t care enough to please. No matter what you sell, you need to give customers a happy experience. As photographers this is especially true. We’re selling quality and an experience, not a piece of paper. Similar in many ways to a movie theater, so today I’m using them as an example.

Last night I went to a theater called the Majestic in Yakima WA. Yep, I’m naming names. This is one of the worst Theaters in Washington because they don’t care. Poor management and inexperienced kids run the show. This “could” be a really nice theater, but you can almost feel the chilling lack of interest the moment you walk thru the door.

I went to see UP with family (fun movie by the way). The last show of the evening started and about half way thru I went to grab snacks. I was met by dimmed lights and told by a group of kids around sixteen that they were closing and cleaning so they could go home. Questioning this, I was informed that the owners make the decision. Then one young employee proceeded to make snotty remarks saying she likes the way they do it just fine and that they have lives too! Not kidding.

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