If you didn’t receive yesterdays copy of the Photo Couch newsletter which included the PPS/Seim Effects Christmas gift pack, I figured I would post it here along with a big Merry Christmas to all you readers. It’s been great having you part of the community in 2009.
PPS has teamed up with Seim Effects again this year for our annual gift pack. This years download has a nice selection fresh photo editing goodness including some Lightroom presets and photo textures. The best part is their free. Hop over to the Seim Effects download page below to get your copy, then share the joy. Also check out the deals page for some the promo codes and specials we’ve worked out over the past year.
Here’s to a great new year. Lets keep out businesses, creativity and kindness alive and well in 2010. Merry Christmas and see you on the forums… Gav
Editing is a powerful thing. It’s how Seim Effects got started after all and it’s what we’ll be mastering in my LR Power LIVE workshop coming in Jan. But great effects start in camera too and part of the goal at Seim Effects is to expand the way we make images and help photographers be more creative. Valued at nearly $300, the Lensbaby Composer is a fun tilt shift style lens that gives a great effect and allows a spot focus controlled by how you set the lens. If you’ve never tried one, you’re missing out.
I carry one on most sessions. It’s not a lens to use for everything, but a great tool to bring out and get creativity flowing with. A good capture and a few Seim Effects get me great finished results like the one above.
The winner will receive a new Lensbaby Composer in any one of the mounts Lensbaby offers (see their site). Contest will close on Jan 14th 2010 at midnight pacific time. A winner will be announced shortly after. This is the first of hopefully many fun contests to come. Enter and enjoy.
Here’s how it works. This is a Twitter contest. Follow gavinseim on twitter, then post the exact phrase below on your Twitter. If you don’t have a twitter account you’ll need one to enter (it’s time anyways). Tweet exactly whats below or your entry may not be counted. Just copy and paste if you like.
Win a Lensbaby Composer from @gavinseim & LR Power LIVE Workshop. Follow & RT, details here – http://bit.ly/sfx01
Before you take a peek at my editing tools on the homepage. You won’t be sorry. You can also visit the FREEBIES section for some good stuff. Also join us on Facebook to get more freebies, goodies and updates. Good luck with the contest and you at the LR Power LIVE workshop… Gavin
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The tweet above is all there is to entering. There are a few rules however.
Only enter once. Multiple entries will not be counted and will just annoy people who follow you. Tweets will be gathered at contest end and a random entrant will be chosen. Tweets after the contest closing date will not be counted.
Your tweets must be visible in public search and cannot be private. If they are private your entry will not be counted. You must be 18 years of age or older to enter (sorry I know we have younger users, but laws make things complicated). Those associated with Seim Effects, Pro Photo Show, Seim Studios or their families are still eligible to enter.
Most countries can enter, the contest is void where prohibited however. You are responsible for following the laws in your own country state or province and winners may be subject to verification of local laws before prize is given. Quebec Canada for example is not eligible.
If you live outside the USA and win the contest it will be shipped to you. Seim Studios may not be held responsible for shipping, customs delays or damage outside of the USA. Seim Studios reserves the right the substitute a product of equal of greater value should the contest product be unavailable for any reason.
Learning is NOT about your equipment. It’s about you.
by Gavin Seim: There must be a romantic draw to film because some still love it. That’s OK with me, even though I can’t totally relate. When I started in photography I was using film and the day I went digital I never went back. That was the days when film may have actually been better. As a teenager I remember eagerly reading things like “digital will be as good as film once we hit eight megapixels.” Then it happened and they still didn’t acknowledge it. Now with digital we can shoot at huge resolutions and get ISO over 100,000 for less money than using film. Sure it’s grainy, but show me a film that will shoot ISO 100,000.
Some photographers STILL tell newbies to learn film first. All the while I’m thinking. “Stop wasting their time and money. Do we learn to ride a hoarse so we can drive a car? Their both transportation.” Fans of learning on film say it makes you think more about the shot since you have less of them. I say if you want less shots get a 1 gig card, or better yet a 256 meg. With today’s cameras that will make you think twice before you shoot because you’ll fill it up in no time.
Some of you may remember in the film days we heard things like “digital is great for learning because you can see immediate results and respond accordingly.” I concur. But now that digital is the norm people say “it’s better to learn on film because you cannot see the results. It’s teaches you discipline.” Huh? Something not making sense here. All the essentials like shutter, fstop, composition, focus and the rest can be learned just as well on digital and for less money.
If you still like film that’s OK. I know people get hooked on things and retro can be cool. But can you actually give us a real factual argument that film is better? I’m not talking about a romantic feelings towards film, I’m talking about some proof. With digital. I can shoot faster, longer, with less light and less resulting grain, then manage and edit the resulting images faster and spend less money doing it. What does film give me.
Bottom line. If you find film interesting and useful then go for it as long as you can still find it. Personally I would suggest learning digital first and then trying film if you like. Otherwise you’ll spend a lot of money on so so images that you could be putting into better lenses, education and more. In the end I think we all need to remember that it’s not about the gear we use. It’s not Mac or PC, Canon or Nikon, film or digital. Being a great photographer is about taking the time to learn and master your passion. If you want to make it as a professional it’s that too, but even more it’s about learning to sell and market your image to the paying customer.
Then again, I am just a young punk and I’m not afraid to change my mind. For curiosity sake I’ll add a poll below to how many of you are actually using film.
Merry Christmas. It’s time to take a look at some cool gadgets and get optimistic and practical about profit in 2010. Don’t miss the last half of the show when we get down to serious business.
How often do you go into a gallery and see a masterpiece that’s not signed?
How often does the same piece have a HUGE ugly watermark across the front?
by Gavin Seim Updated 11/12: If your name is not on your work, you’re missing out. But it needs to be done well. The truth is, selling images is not about just having passion, it’s about business. Is your work just piece of paper, or is it a piece if art? I think many people who don’t brand their images do so because they lack branding experience, or don’t consider their images of high enough value to hang equally next to other art. Some on the other hand some take image marking too far, ruining their presentation by going overkill with watermarks. Petapixel did a fun satirical article on this recently.
Today we’ll look at nearly every angle. From web images to print – First lets remember that classy branding on an image generally adds value. How often do you buy a book without the authors name on the front? Even the cars we buy have logos on them. If you bought a Ferrari would you want it without the emblem? I think not. Why then should the art we make be unmarked! Are there exceptions? Sure, but not many. For example a commercial client may require unbranded images, but they should also expect to pay a premium for that right. Artists have been branding their work for centuries and so should you.
This night HDR of the Seattle skyline shows an example of how I mark images for gallery and print exhibitions while keeping them classy. I hand sign my best pieces, as we’ll talk about below. Take the time to work on a good signature. While this is very subdued, people do look at signatures and names. It keeps it classy yet keeps the brand strong.
