A Terrific Deal On Topaz

© Rick Sammon

Check this out: From Friday, April 20 to Sunday, April 22, you can save 35% on all Topaz plug-ins - including the Bundle - which usually sells for $299.00 but with this offer is $194.99.

To save, use my Sammon Savings code: sammontwp. This code only works for for this weekend.

Click here for all Topaz plug-ins.

Click here for the Bundle.

Have fun playing with plug-ins this weekend.

Explore the light,
Rick

First HDR with Canon 5D Mark III

We see the world in HDR, cameras do not. Enter the Canon 5D Mark III.

One of the many cool features of the new camera is its ability to shoot and process HDR images in camera. You set set the exposure range (+/-1, +/-2, +/-3), select a processing type (Neutral, Art standard, Art Vivid, Art bold and Art embossed), and choose to save only your HDR image only or your HDR image and your original images. Your HDR image is saved as a JPEG.

Your set of images is magically aligned in camera. In the alignment process, you might lose some of the edge of your frame - so shoot a bit wider than normal.

I made this HDR shot in Sitka, Alaska about an hour ago. It's my first Canon 5D Mark III HDR image. I needed HDR to capture the shadow detail, the detail in the hull of the boat in the foreground, and the detail in the snow on the mountain in the background. My settings: +/-2 and Art Vivid. Handled.

To learn more about HDR, check out my iHDR app on my app page.

For discounts on the HDR programs I use, click here.

I also teach HDR on all my workshops. Speaking of which, I am in Alaska with Bull Schmitt teaching a wildlife, landscape and travel photography workshop for Light. Pictures to come when we get back to shore in about a week. Hal and I hope to see you at the California Photo Fest.

Click here to read about all my gear.

Explore the light,
Rick

Tuesday's Talented On-Line Find: John Harvey

© John Harvey

There are many talented photographers out there - and it's easier to discover talent thanks to the internet.



This past Wednesday, I was conducting one of my Tough Love portfolio review sessions with photographer John Harvey. John is a good photographer. He just needed some reinforcement . . . . and long with some needed business advice, which I provided.


His shot here is one of my favorites.


John on his photo: Sunrise shot from the pier on St. Simons Island, GA.  

I wanted to capture the peace and calm of the morning. Sunrises are a special time for me, the few minutes before your day turns hectic, when all is right in the world. 

• • • • • 

Interested in a Tough Love session? Check out the comments below from past participants. A little tough love can go a long way to becoming a better photographer. Info at Tough Love.

Explore the light,

Rick

Rick's Big Cats is My Newest Cool App

Photographs © Rick Sammon

For all those big and small cat lovers out there, I have developed, along with app developer Keith Kolmos, my first wall paper app: Rick's Big Cats - for both the iPad and iPhone.

The app, which cost only 99 cents, contains 20 of my favorite pictures of lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, cougars, jaguars and serval cats - photographs that look wonderful on the iPad and iPhone.

Photograph © Rick Sammon

I photographed the big cats in Africa, Belize and in wildlife parks throughout the United States.

Most of the big cats were photographed with my Canon 100-400mm IS lens. Click here to read about all my gear.

© Rick Sammon

From within the app you can email a photo to your friends and even share it on Facebook and twitter - with cat lovers around the world.

© Rick Sammon

I hope you enjoy the app. Click here to see all my app.


About Keith: Keith Kolmos is a hobbyist photographer and freelance app developer from Elgin, Illinois. Keith's other cool apps: Dis Photo A Day 2012, Christmas Photo A Day 2011, I Heart U Photos,Trak4, and Trak4 Lite.


Explore the light,
Rick

Favorite Lenses at Fossil Rim

Here on my Fossil Rim Wildlife Center workshop in Glen Rose, Texas, I am putting my two favorite lenses to use.

I'm using my Canon 100-400mm IS lens for portraits of the animals - above.

And I'm using my Canon 25-105mm IS lens for environmental shots - pictures that show the animals in their environment - above. Here you see the parents of the young sable antelope protecting their young by forming a circle around them. What good parents . . . . 

Click here to see all the gear I use.

Shoot me an email if you want to join one of my Fossil Rim workshops.

Explore the light,

Rick

On the Road Again

I'm taking off for my Fossil Rim and Alaska workshops soon. Until I can post new stuff, here are my most popular posts from last month.

Hope to be back here soon.

Explore the light,

Rick

Popular Posts

• 
• Havin' Some Photoshop Fun - via Scott Kelby

  I'm sure you know about my friend Scott Kelby's best-selling book:   Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It . If you want to learn about about port...
• 

  Orb or Softbox? That is a question for speedlite shooters

  Soft boxes offer directional light. © Rick Sammon This was my most popular posts, so I'm re-posting it for those speedlite shooters who ...
• 

  My First Photograph With The Canon 5D Mark III and Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite

  Croton-on-Hudson painter Eddi Flemming. Photographed © Rick Sammon In gearing up for my Master Your Flash workshop here in Croton-on-Hu...
• 

  Quick Speedlite Tip: Put the Flash In the Picture

  I'm writing a post on the new Canon 600-EX Speedlite - and came across this older post that I though you might enjoy in the meantime. M..
  .

What Are Your Favorite Photoshop CS6 Beta Features?

Composite, drop shadow, canvas size and type created in Photoshop CS6 Beta.

If you are a serious photographer, you should download the Beta version of Photoshop CS6. Hey, it's free, fun and fantastic.

There are lots of new features (more than 20), including my favorites, which are listed below.

Create a spotlight effect with Lighting Effects for a more dramatic portrait.

- Dark and cool-looking interface;
- Updated icons, buttons and dialogs;
- New Camera Raw 7;
- Re Camera Raw... they don't call me Rick "Raw Rules" Sammon for nothing:
- New Crop Tool (more on that toward the end of this post);
- New Content-Aware Move, Extend and Patch tools;
- New and improved Lighting Effects (see end-result above on the right, which is just one of many lighting effects effects);
- New Blur Gallery (see title-shif effect below).

Tilt-Shift blur effect can create miniature-looking images. Selective blur is also possible.

Tilt-shift effet in Photoshop CS6 Beta.

Like my friend Dave Cross, I use Photoshop more than Lightroom, although I teach both application on my workshops - as well as plug-ins for both programs.

Another one of my favorite features in Photoshop (CS6 Beta and CS5) is Shadows/Highlights.

Check out the before-and-after set of images below. With a quick adjustment using the S/H sliders, I was able to see more details in the birds without blowing out the sky. You might want to try this feature on your high-contrast images before going to HDR.

After Shadows/Highlights.

Before Shadows/Highlights.

You probably noticed that the above picture is cropped from the standard format. Photoshop CS6 Beta also has a new Crop Tool - which offers non-destructive cropping.

Hey, if you are into shooting HD video, Photoshop CS6 Beta also supports video. If you want to get into HD video with your SLR, check out the DVD that Juan Pons and I produced.

I'd love to hear from you. What are your favorite PS6 Beta features? Please leave your comment in the Comment section here on my blog.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. If you want to spend less time in Photoshop and Lightroom (that is getting the best possible in-camear exposure), check out my apps. They are packed with how-to info.