In-studio creativeLive Students Selected

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For those of you who are new to creativeLive, it's an on-line class that's free during the studio class. My class is October 21 - 23. From now until then, you can purchase the class (for at-your-leisure-anytime-watching) at a discount: $99.

Part of the deal is that cL asks photographers who want to be in the studio during the class to submit videos. The photographers who produce the most fun and most creative and most passionate videos get picked.

Below are the winning 6 videos for my class. Congratulations to all. I look forward to the photo fun - but keep in mind that I will put you to work . . . especially during the studio lighting demos.

The folks at creativeLive will contact you soon about the details. For now, shoot me an email so I can say hi!

For those who did not get picked, thank you so much for making the videos. Keep shooting and tune in during the weekend - and tweet to say hi!

The winning vidoes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgUllmyLnoY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i14vmZuuw8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDFNRQzQ0Wk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBbxzvjkpW0

http://whyishouldbeonsammonlive.dhrumildesai.me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ZhVslK-vY&feature=share


Yes! The focus of my class will be on still photography, but I also have a Business/Social Media session that I don't think you want to miss. I will cover Google+ and other social media outlets. Here's my Google+ page if you want to see what I'm up to.

As an added "thank you" to the in-studio students, I'll be brining a copy of my Creating HD Videos with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D DVD - which is also available as a download. Yes, my class is about still photography - but I encourage all still photographers to get into shooting HD videos, too.

Hey, if you like hands-on learning, check out all my live workshops.

Explore the light,
Rick


P.S. One of the winners, Chris, is a guitar player. Chris, I am trying to get two guitars for the Shoot Rick session at the end of the class! Creative lighting will be the goal.

To HDR or Not to HDR? That is the question

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Yesterday, I announced a Mac version of my best-selling iHDR how-to app.

Sure, I enjoy creating HDR images, and I suggest to all my workshops students that they master HDR imaging.

However, I always stress that as good and as powerful and as much fun as HDR can be, there is a time and a place for HDR. Here's why: HDR can ruin the mood of a scene. And after all, the mood or feeling, is the most important part of an image.

I took the photograph that opens this post at Mt. Rainier last week. I could have used HDR to open up the shadows, but I feel as though the shadows create the mood of this peaceful and beautiful setting.

Remember:
Shadows are the soul of a photograph.
Shadows add a sense of depth and dimension to a photograph.
Shadows can be your friend.

So embrace HDR technology, but always keep the mood of the image in mind - first and foremost.

I teach HDR on almost all of my workshops.

Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. I'll be talking more about the mood of a photograph in my creativeLive class in October. Register today for this free class.

Got a Mac? Get Ready for My iHDR App Mac Attack

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What? Run an iPad App on Your Macintosh? Yes!

Well, sort of. You can't actually run an iPad app, like my iHDR iPad app, on a Mac, so Dr. Dave Wilson, the app developer, converted my iHDR iPad app - which is a how-to app and does not create HDR images -  into a true Macintosh application.

How cool is that!


It took many weeks of detailed, gut-wrenching, exhaustive work, sometimes without food or water (locked in a hatch*), but the results are awesome.

With this technology, you can download iHDR from the Mac App Store and run it on any Mac computer from MacBook Air to a giant Mac Pro.  Cost is $9.99.

You can only get the OSX app in the Mac App Store on your Mac. So be sure to open this App Store icon on your Mac.

You buy the iPad version of iHDR  in the iPhone/iPad App Store, or in iTunes. See link below.


Get the iPad edition, $4.99, from iTunes or your iPad App Store. Click here for more info and to order.


To see all my apps, click here.


If you like HDR photography, I join one of my workshops. We shoot and process HDR - even if you have a PC :-)

Explore the light,
Rick

* If you saw the TV series Lost, you got the "hatch" joke.



Friday's Fab Photographer: Morgana Creely

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This week's Friday's Fab Photographer is Morgana Creely.


Thank you for this great opportunity. :)


Above:
This image was the most challenging to create in that I wanted the shot to look like it was lit entirely with the ambient light in the room and from the window. In fact it is a mixture of ambient and Speedlight [small flash].

The unmodified Speedlight was positioned fairly low to the ground, pointing from the right of room towards the model to mimic light from the window. This allowed me to light the model’s face [which otherwise would have been in darkness] without throwing additional shadows on the back wall.




Above:
One of my favourite images, this was shot very early one morning in a local cemetery. We had permission from the caretaker to shoot within the premises and in a location like this are always respectful of the location.

The model is lit by a single unmodified Speedlite which is placed on the outside of the fence railing to create the shadows.


The outfits for these shoots were sourced from my props wardrobe or the models with the exception of the colour “bus stop” outfit which was rented for less than $100.  Whilst I am very fortunate to have studio lights, when I’m on location I rely entirely on my Speedlights.

The old adage is true; it’s not what you got, it’s what you do with it.

A big thank you to Rick Sammon for the guest blog.

Links:

Website: www.morganacreely.com
Blog: http://mcreely.blogspot.com/
Workshops: www.imagesthattellstories.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/MorganaCreely