HDR is Subject of ScanCafe December Photo Contest

This month's ScanCafe photo contest: High Dynamic Range photography.

The assignment: Create an HDR image that is not too obviously (as in the popular grunge look) an HDR image.

One entry per person.

The first place winner receives a $100 gift certificate from ScanCafe. The two runners up each receive a $50 gift certificate.

Email your entries (less than 2 MB) to: sammon@scancafe.com. Please include a brief description of your workflow.

Contest ends New Year's Eve, 2009. The winners will be announced and the image will be shared here on my blog on/about January 15th. Each month we will hold a different contest.

The contest is open to amateurs and pros, because. . . "Amateurs built the ARK, Professionals built the TITANIC."
Good luck!

To learn more about HDR photography, and to get discounts on some plug-ins, check out the Plug-in Experience.

Explore the Light,
Rick

P.S. What? You are letting your old slides and prints sit in a box or drawer? Yank 'em out of there and get them scanned. Enjoy them as they are or play with them in the digital darkroom. Stay tuned for some of my scanned underwater images.

What's In A Name? Any Suggestions For My iPhone App?

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Hi Friends!

Dr. Dave Wilson, the developer of my iPhone app, and I are trying to come up with a creative, fun and descriptive name for my 1st iPhone app, due out before the end of the year. We could use your help.

The app helps SLR and compact camera shooters turn their snapshots into great shots. It's like having a pro in your hip pocket.

The tips, with interactive before-and-after examples, can be used for making better iPhone pix, too. It's pretty much an A-Z guide.

We sure would appreciate your ideas. If we pick yours, I'll send you one of my books!

Please post your suggestion here.... so we can keep track of all the suggestions. We'd need your real name, too. :-)

Note: app names must be short and sweet.

If you see a suggestion you like, please let us know.

Thank you.

Explore the light,
Rick

Photo Expression Needed For the Young at Heart

One of my favorite t-shirts shows a guitar and has this phrase printed on it: If it's too loud, you're too old.

That got me thinking. Some photographers only like straight shots; they are against digital enhancements, most recently when it comes to HDR images, such as the one pictured here.

So I thought we need a photo expression along the lines of my t-shirt. However, I can't come up with one. If you have any ideas, fill in the blank and post your suggestion here.

If it's too _________, you're too old.

Thank you for playing along.

Explore the Light
Rick - who is turning 60 next year!

The Ray Flash Rocks

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I just did an outdoor portrait session with my new Ray Flash, pictured here attached to my Canon 580EX II. Check out the soft and even light from this ringlite-like rig. Say that three times fast!

Basically, the device captures the light from your on-camera flash and sends it down a chute to a reflector that encircles your lens. Man o man, I should have thought of that! What a cool invention.

Anyway, if you are looking for ringlight-like lighting, and don't have the bucks to spend on a true ringlight (which costs big bucks) for portraiture, check out the Ray Flash. Note that there are difference models for different cameras.

Read all about it on the expoimaging web site.

For some tips on daylight fill flash, see this article I wrote for Outdoor Photographer magazine.

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. Yes, I warmed up the picture of the girl in Photoshop, using a Color Balance Adjustment Layer.

A Few Fun iPhone Photos, Please

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Hi All

My iPhone app will be available in a few weeks! It is packed with photo how-to information, ideas - and more than 100 of my favorite tips and pictures for seeing, making, and editing pictures. There is even a section that features photo tips from A to Z.

Dr. Dave Wilson is the developer. Cool dude! (He also plays guitar, so we have that in common, too.)

I am looking for a few great iPhone photos to illustrate a section on my top photo tips. Here are the categories:

1) Be Aware of the Background

2) Camera Looks Both Ways

3) Create a Sense of Depth

4) Interesting Subjects Make Interesting Photographs

5) Make Pictures

6) Name of the Game It To Fill the Frame

7) See Eye to Eye

8) See the Light

9) Use Your Camera Like a Spaceship

10) When You Think You Are Close, Move in Closer

If you have a photo that illustrates one of these points, please email it to me at rick@dpexperience.com. That's the email address I have for the new podcast/website I started with Juan Pons. Send your photo questions for our podcast to that address, too.

Here is a direct link to the podcast. And here is a link to our new website.

If I use your photo, you'd get credit, of course! When you send your photo, please state that I have your permission to use it for the app.

Hey, I can't let you leave my Digital Photography Learning Center without learning anything. :-) Check out this link for my Top Ten Travel Tips.

Explore the light,
Rick