May 4, 2011

0

f164, Fine Art, journal, Nature, silver, technique, travel

Three Pines, Kaibab National Forest.

Three Pines. Kaibab National Forest, near the Grand Canyon. Spring 2011.

The night is intriguing to me as a photographer. Stars trail through the heavens, and branches rustle as winds sift through the darkness. The world turns unnoticed by most of its occupants, and yet it is not still at all.

Night photography is a challenge; I have to go against my natural preference to be relaxed comfortably in a warm house or trailer rather than standing in darkness often cold, wondering what made that cracking sound I just heard behind me. The next challenge is the technical difficulty of making the image and composition in darkness and having the patience for an ultra long exposure. This one was over 45 minutes.

At times like this one, I can set up the image and go back to said warm camper and family, as the faint light works its magic. At times, my night exposures do not come out as I expect, and some never see the pages of this journal, but as I further explore the darker side my craft, I find moments like this when the simplicity and natural beauty of the elements draw my eye and make me smile at the wonder of creation.

This image is not perfect, and I’m undecided as to whether it will make the signature collection, but I do enjoy it, and it has taught me much about light and shadow…

Gav

For photographers. How it was made…

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May 1, 2011

1

color, f164, Fine Art, journal, Nature, signature, technique, travel

Golden Song – Shell Beach, CA

Golden Song - Shell Beach, California, April 2011

I’m right on the shore, the waves of the incoming tide lapping against the legs of my tripod, sometimes making me step back to keep my feet dry. The sun is just setting off to the right, casting an orange warmth on the largest of the rocks. The sky is simple, but it’s smooth, the gentle color soothing, and the lines and details on the rocks are mesmerizing in their intricacy.

California is a beautiful place. Due to its population and popularity, it always always the most east access, but if you get there and get settled it’s really breathtaking. There’s so much to see and so little time to get it done before rush hour.

For Photographers. How it was made…

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April 6, 2011

2

lightroom, news, presets, ProPhotoShow

Power Workflow 3.2 LR Presets. Free Update.

I’ve worked hard to make Power Workflow the set of presets that sets the gold standard for LR presets. PW3 has been out for almost nine months now and has been a home run so far. Well 3.2 just went out, free for you PW3 owners. This update includes some new presets, including a few cool ones dealing specifically with dynamic range. There’s also lots of little tweaks to make the collection more powerful than ever. You can find a list of the changes in the Tips & Info page of the download.

If you own PW3 you should already have an email with your new download. You can simply delete the old ones and install the new. If you didn’t receive them, shoot me an note (effects@seimstudios.com) and I’ll hook you up. And if you don’t own PW3, you’re missing out. Give them a try and if you don’t like them, I’ll give your money back. I can tell you that’s something that happens very rarely.

Best… Gav

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March 20, 2011

0

lightroom, news, photoshop, ProPhotoShow, special effects, tips, workshop

Webinar Workshops. A new way to learn coming to Seim Effects

You users been asking about these for a long time. The truth is I’ve avoided it because I really like teaching photography workshops in person, and for some, like my  Lights & Shadows workshop, it’s the only way to fly.

But reality says I have a lot of tricks up my sleeve that I can teach online. With that in mind I’ve decided to stop resisting it. Coming soon is an all new series of digital learning workshops. Separated into bite sized chunks, inexpensive, live and online.

It’s going to start with a Lightroom Power learning series. Workshops that start at basics and work into very advanced editing skills. You can pick the sessions you want based on your current skillset. Cool part is these will be about 90 minutes each and will only cost about twenty dollars. Spend an evening at the live online workshop, then take time to let is soak in before the next one.

After Lightroom I plan to take it further. I may even do a seasonal series. Focused workshops on things that seem simple, but can go so deep. Burning and dodging, cloning, prepping files for print. I’m getting excited because with this online format I can host a workshop on nearly anything, no matter how focused, because there’s no travel and no venue overheads to take into account.

Stay tuned for more details. Registration for The first webinars will be opening soon… Gav

You can follow the Facebook Page. All workshops will be announced there. You can also join the newsletter over in the sidebar >>

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March 3, 2011

10

Aperture Freebies, Aperture Presets, Free Effects & Goodies, news, ProPhotoShow, special effects

Free Aperture Presets. LightFlow Sampler Pack.

Lightflow for Aperture is an ultra refined presets toolkit for photographers that’s based on many years of digital editing experience. I like to give away freebies and samples from every full collection I release and LightFlow this is no exception. Below you can download the sampler pack that includes 6 great effects from LightFlow, including one of the new Super Series auto correction presets.

I’ve put loads of refinement into LightFlow and I think you’ll love them. I hope you’ll also check out the full version because with over 55 presets, it takes Aperture workflow and creativity to new levels. And like other Seim Effects tools, LightFlow is guaranteed to please.

The freebie pack includes the following presets. You can find a full description of each in the presets list on the main product page.

  • Super Hero.
  • Super Simple.
  • Color Dance.
  • Faded Glory.
  • Simply Silver.
  • Dusted Warm, Tone.

Download via the link below. No strings. Also if you’d like to keep up with my future releases and freebies, you can sign up for my newsletter right over there >> in the sidebar. Enjoy… Gav

– Download LightFlow Aperture Presets Sampler ZIP –

– Check out the complete collection and see more samples –

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