July 29, 2008

Lightroom 2

Adobe has just realeased Lightroom 2. The ever popular workflow tool for photographers. You can find the press release here.

At $299.00 (99.00 upgrade from V1) Lightroom two is still a Benjamin more than Aperture, but holds the biggest market share to be sure. We’re pretty excited over here. Here’s a list of some of the best new features as outlines on Adobe.

  • Local adjustment brush
  • Enhanced organizational tools
  • Volume management
  • Extensible architecture
  • Multiple monitor support
  • Flexible print package functionality
  • Streamlined Photoshop CS3 integration
  • Enhanced output sharpening
  • 64-bit support for Windows® and Mac OS

I’ve been using beta 2 myself for some time, but will defiantly be getting the full 2.0 release and getting into it. I’m eager to push the limits a but further with my Lightroom Presets We’ll also be talking on the show about it soon.

 Updates! Here’s a few articles worth checking out.

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July 24, 2008

Gosh, I sure made this cool fire look UGLY!

I really enjoyed the book Purple Cow. It’s a book about making your business stand out in an world where paid advertising is failing. It got me thinking about what we do here at Seim Effects. Aside from saving time editing, I use the effects to help me stand out more. I made the above photo bad to get your attention. It probably worked, but I wouldn’t suggest using that effect to get new clients and it’s not included with my collections.

I think  as photographers we sometimes feel that automating parts of our business takes away from our creative edge. That does not need to be so. If we did all our editing manually, we would use far fewer effects, and because they would take so much longer. In the end the results might not be as good because we would be in a hurry. Also by being fast in my editing my client gets their pictures fast. This is a Purple Cow in itself because clients often have to wait toomlong for their pictures to be ready.

So I for one am looking for more ways to stand out. Here’s a few things on my mind for Seim Photography as well as Seim Effects

  • 1. Am I being extraordinary in the products and services I sell?
  • 2. How can I make it even better?
  • 3. What does my target market really want?
  • 4. What can I do to give simple added bonuses? ( the prize inside)
  • 5. What can I do that’s daring and amazing?

I have various answers to these questions rolling in my head like marbles. We’ll talk about those later. The bottom line is this. If I can answer the questions above, and then take action, I can be a purple cow that everyone is amazed by and telling their friends about. That’s FREE MARKETING.

Do you do anything in your business to be the Purple Cow?

By the way. Here’s a good version of that photo.

Gavin Seim

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June 13, 2008

<<Click To Listen – PPS #46 with Kevin Kubota.

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Kevin Kubota
Todays Panel…
Kevin Kubota ~ Kubota Image Tools, Kubota Photo, Kubota Blog
Gavin Seim ~ Seim PhotographySeim Effects & LR Presets

Todays Show

A big thanks to Kevin for coming on the show. We start out talking about Kevin’s photo tools and how he got started, and then move in techniques, and photography tips. Kevin gives us some thoughts for lighting, marketing, and branding and plenty of other good nuggets inlucding using your personality to interact with your customers.

Comment here, or join the PPS #47 Forum Discussion. You can find out more about Kevin’s workshops by going to his website (above)

A few links to things mention on the show.

Podcast subscription feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/prophotoshow

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May 28, 2008

Lightroom 2

Our friends over at the CameraDojo blog have announced an e-seminat that will take place this Fri 1:PM PST talking about tips for Adobe Lightroom 2.

It’s being hosted by Rick Miller. We’re told that these are usually closed events but if you head on over to Cameradogo they’ve got an invite code that their sharing and it will get you in. If you have some free time on Fri, check it out, and get some new knowledge.

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May 27, 2008

<<Click To Listen – Photography Roundtable #7 PPS#46

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Todays Panel…
Chris Livingston ~ Chris Livingston Photography
Brady Dillsworth ~ Dillsworth Photography

Gavin Seim ~ Seim PhotographyEffects & Presets
Scott Bourne ~ This Week In Photography
Dennis Zerwas ~ DZ Photography

Show notes
What do you think about all these megapixels? Anyone using LED lights? What about this whole Orphan Works Act? Comment here, or join the discussion on the
PPS Roundatble #7 Forum Discussion


The Orphan Works Act of 2008 does not look good for artist copyrights. Take action here, and read our more in depth article here.

Scott likes his mini LED light, and you can get bigger one too. Looks interesting but spendy.

Photogs are rallying for their photo rights in Los Angeles, & Radio Poppers remote triggers look interesting.

Gavin uses In Design for albums, and New School Photo has a video for it. He also recovered his corrupted images using Card Raider for mac. On teh PC side you can try PC Inspector. It was recommended by a user on this forum thread.

Picks of the week…
Gavin is Tamrac Express 7 Camera bag.
Dennis is NAAP.
Chris is Apple iMac.
Brady is Audio Technica ATH-ANC7 headphones.
Scott is Tiffen DFX digital filters.

Podcast subscription feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/prophotoshow

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