<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>GeekInspired.com &#187; Photography</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.geekinspired.com/category/photography/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.geekinspired.com</link>
	<description>Computer and Photography Tips</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 04:53:47 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5</generator>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
			<item>
		<title>Adobe Lightroom Workflow &#8211; Part 2 &#8211; Flag, Rate, and Filter</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/adobe-lightroom-workflow-flag-rate-and-filter/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/adobe-lightroom-workflow-flag-rate-and-filter/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 16 May 2009 11:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Computer Software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lightroom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photoshop]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=1947</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In the previous article of this series we took an in-depth look at importing your photos into Lightroom.  Now that your photos are imported, let&#8217;s take a few moments to go through them and tag them with a flag, rating or color so we can easily filter through them during the editing process.  [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/filtering_main.jpg" rel="lightbox[1947]" rel="shadowbox[post-1947];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img class="left" src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/filtering_main_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" ></a>In the previous article of this series we took an in-depth look at <a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/computer-software/adobe-lightroom-workflow-importing-photos/" alt="" target="_blank">importing your photos into Lightroom</a>.  Now that your photos are imported, let&#8217;s take a few moments to go through them and tag them with a flag, rating or color so we can easily filter through them during the editing process.  </p>
<p class="noclear">It&#8217;s sometimes easy to underestimate the importance of a good tag and filtering process.  If done right this can be a huge time saver.  It&#8217;s also handy for archiving; when you return to these photos after weeks, months or years have passed you are immediately able to see the original tags you applied.</p>
<p><span id="more-1947"></span></p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/loupe_view.jpg" rel="lightbox[1947]" rel="shadowbox[post-1947];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/loupe_view_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a><strong>1.  Loupe View</strong><br />The first thing you&#8217;ll want to do is make sure you&#8217;re in Loupe view of your photos.  This allows you to easily view each individual photo as you scroll them.  To do this, simply <strong>hit the E key</strong> on your keyboard, or go to <strong>View > Loupe</strong>.  Now, starting with the first photo in your series, you can simply use the left and right arrow keys to scroll through the Filmstrip (the scrolling list of photos at the bottom of the screen).</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/tag_options.jpg" rel="lightbox[1947]" rel="shadowbox[post-1947];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/tag_options_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a><strong>2.  Flags, Stars and Colors</strong><br />Lightroom offers you several options to tag and filter your photos.  One thing to keep in mind when sorting through these filtering options is whether or not the tag is <em>global</em>.  If it is global, it will be recognized by Lightroom regardless of what folder, collection or catalog the photo resides in. If it&#8217;s not global, the tag you apply will only be visible within the folder or collection that you are viewing at the time.  </p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Flags</strong> &#8211; Quick and easy way to indicate whether a photo is to be kept or deleted.  Not global.
<ul>
<li><strong>Flagged</strong> (Hit P key) &#8211; Marks photo as a keeper</li>
<li><strong>Unflagged</strong> (Hit U key) &#8211; Removes any previously applied tag. </li>
<li><strong>Rejected</strong> (Hit X key) &#8211; Marks photo as rejected</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><strong>Stars</strong> (Hit 1-5 on keyboard, or 0 to remove stars) &#8211; Fairly straightforward way to indicate whether a photo is &#8220;meh&#8221; or if it&#8217;s &#8220;AWESOME&#8221;!  Stars are globally recognized.</li>
<li><strong>Colors</strong> (Hit 6-9 on keyboard) &#8211; Nifty way to assign a <em>group</em> to a set of photos.  For example, all Green photos need to be cropped, all Red photos need to be changed to black and white, etc.  Colors are globally recognized as well.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/tags_applied.jpg" rel="lightbox[1947]" rel="shadowbox[post-1947];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/tags_applied_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a>One thing to keep in mind is that Photoshop can also recognize global tags.  So, if you have just flagged a photo in Lightroom and opened in Photoshop for editing, when you save the photo it is automatically added to your Lightroom catalog but it will not retain the Flag that you had previously applied.  Photoshop does retain all Star ratings and Color labels that you have applied, but not Flags. </p>
<div class="quicktip">
<p><strong><em>Quick Tip!</em></strong><br />In Lightroom, go to the Photo menu and select <strong>Auto Advance</strong>.  Now when you apply any tag to a photo, you&#8217;re automatically advanced to the next photo in your Filmstrip.  (There, I just saved you an extra keystroke in your tagging process!  You can thank me later.)</p>
</div>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/filter_applied.jpg" rel="lightbox[1947]" rel="shadowbox[post-1947];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/filter_applied_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a><strong>3. Filtering Fun!</strong><br />Now that all the &#8220;hard work&#8221; is done (bless your soul), it&#8217;s easy to use the filter options in the toolbar to display only certain sets of photos.  Simply click on the filtering method of your choice to display only the photos with those tags.</p>
<p>Tagging and filtering has become the very first thing I do with my photos after they are imported.  It&#8217;s especially useful if you are importing a large amount of photos at one time as it helps you narrow down the best photos to a manageable list.</p>
<p><strong>Other articles in this series</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/computer-software/adobe-lightroom-workflow-importing-photos/" alt="" target="_blank">Adobe Lightroom Workflow &#8211; Part 1 &#8211; Importing Photos</a></li>
</ul>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/adobe-lightroom-workflow-flag-rate-and-filter/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Digital Photography Tips &#8211; White Balance with a Gray Card</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/digital-photography-tips-white-balance-with-a-gray-card/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/digital-photography-tips-white-balance-with-a-gray-card/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2009 13:26:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photoshop]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=1818</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One thing that often gets overlooked by amateur photographers is getting accurate color in your photos.  The first step to getting good color is making sure you have paid attention to your white balance.  White balance, sometimes known as color balance, is basically making sure that white appears as white in a given [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/whibal_image.jpg" rel="lightbox[1818]" rel="shadowbox[post-1818];player=img;" alt="" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/whibal_image_sm.jpg" alt="Custom White Balance" class="left" /></a>One thing that often gets overlooked by amateur photographers is getting accurate color in your photos.  The first step to getting good color is making sure you have paid attention to your <strong>white balance</strong>.  White balance, sometimes known as color balance, is basically making sure that white appears as white in a given lighting scenario.  </p>
<p>Many people deal with white balance by simply setting their digital camera to Auto White Balance (AWB).  While cameras do fairly well at achieving good white balance automatically, there are a few steps you can take to insure more accurate depiction of colors.<span id="more-1818"></span></p>
<p>The absolute easiest way to get accurate white balance is incorporating a gray card into your workflow.  With a gray card, you simply take a photo of the gray card in the lighting scenario you&#8217;re working with; you then have a solid reference point for <strong>middle gray</strong>, usually defined as 18% gray (though some claim that camera and light meters see closer to a 12% gray).  </p>
<p><strong>Get a Gray Card</strong><br />My favorite gray cards are the WhiBal range of cards from <a href="http://www.rawworkflow.com/whibal/" alt="" target="_blank" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.rawworkflow.com/whibal/?referer=');">RawWorkflow.com</a>.  When I first started practicing photography with a gray card, I got a 4&#215;5&#8243; card that didn&#8217;t fit in my camera bag so I always forgot to take it on location sessions.  To remedy this, I picked up a card that I keep on my keychain for $18.  Now I&#8217;ve got a handy gray card with me wherever I go.  I simply setup the scene and then snap a photo of my subject/model holding up the keychain-sized gray card.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/white_balance_icon.jpg" rel="lightbox[1818]" rel="shadowbox[post-1818];player=img;" alt=""><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/white_balance_icon_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>Balance It Out</strong><br />After you&#8217;ve captured a gray card in your photo, it&#8217;s incredibly easy to set the white balance inside Photoshop.  The easiest way is to open the photo inside Camera Raw.</p>
<p>Simply choose the White Balance Tool in Camera Raw (the eyedropper icon toward the top left corner of the window) and click on an area of the gray card.</p>
<p>As an experiment, I purposely messed up the white balance so that the gray was wasn&#8217;t anywhere near actual gray:</p>
<p style="text-align: center" align="left"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/off_balance.jpg" rel="lightbox[1818]" rel="shadowbox[post-1818];player=img;" alt=""><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/off_balance_sm.jpg" border="0" class="center"></a></p>
<p>One click on the WhiBal gray card instantly corrects the color of the image:</p>
<p style="text-align: center" align="left"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/white_balance.jpg" rel="lightbox[1818]" rel="shadowbox[post-1818];player=img;" alt=""><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/white_balance_sm.jpg" border="0" class="center" ></a></p>
<p>This illustrates the effectiveness of the gray card and shows that it works even if your camera&#8217;s white balance setting was inaccurate.</p>
<p>This method works great with both RAW and JPEG images, so regardless of your shooting preference you can be sure to end up with accurate color through custom white balance with a gray card.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/digital-photography-tips-white-balance-with-a-gray-card/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Photoshop Tips &#8211; Advanced Black and White Conversion Using Actions</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/photoshop-tips-advanced-black-and-white-conversion-using-actions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/photoshop-tips-advanced-black-and-white-conversion-using-actions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:00:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Graphic Design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photoshop]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=2120</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are several ways to convert your photos to black and white inside Photoshop; quick options like the Desaturate command or simply adding in a Black &#038; White Adjustment layer.  But there are other more advanced options available within Photoshop that can give you killer black and white results.
The thing about black and white [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bw_preview.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="left">There are several ways to convert your photos to black and white inside Photoshop; quick options like the Desaturate command or simply adding in a Black &#038; White Adjustment layer.  But there are other more advanced options available within Photoshop that can give you killer black and white results.</p>
<p>The thing about black and white conversion is that one process doesn&#8217;t always work the best for every photo.  There are several different methods because sometimes certain methods work better than others for the picture in question. </p>
<p>What we&#8217;ll cover here is a quick way to to create an Action that will automatically add the most popular black and white conversion techniques to your photo.  We&#8217;ll combine this action with Layer Comps to give you an easy way to run through each of the conversion options to get a glimpse of what works best with your photo.  I tend to lovingly refer to this technique as, <strong>Not Yo Mama&#8217;s Black and White Conversion</strong>.</p>
<p><span id="more-2120"></span></p>
<div class="quicktip">
<div class="actionTitle">Action Download &#8211; Not Yo Mama&#8217;s Black and White Conversion</div>
<p>Download the action below to your computer.  In Photoshop, go to the Actions panel (Window > Actions), hit the Options tab in the top right corner of the panel and choose Load Actions.<br />
<center><a href="/actions/GeekInspired-BlackAndWhiteConversion(mac).zip" target="_blank">Download Action</a> (Mac Version)<br />
<a href="/actions/GeekInspired-BlackAndWhiteConversion(win).zip" target="_blank">Download Action</a> (Windows Version)<br />
</center>
</div>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/01-new_set.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/01-new_set_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>1. Document Setup</strong><br />The first thing to do is open your photo inside Photoshop and then go to the Actions panel (<strong>Window > Action</strong>).  If you haven&#8217;t played around with actions before, you may only see the Default Actions set inside this panel.  Click on the little folder icon in the bottom right corner of the panel to create a new set and give the set a name.  I named mine &#8220;Bo&#8217;s Actions&#8221;.  </p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/02-new_action_sm.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/02-new_action_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>2. Create Your Action</strong><br />Click on the little paper icon to the right of the folder icon to create a new action.  This will bring up a dialog box where you can name your action, designate which set you&#8217;d like to store the action in (make sure the set you created in step 1 is selected) and assign a keyboard shortcut and color to the action if you wish.  These last settings are optional, so once you are ready to continue hit the Record button.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s worth noting that Actions are not time-based recordings; the action will only record changes you make to your document.  So, no need to rush through this.  Take your time and focus on getting the steps setup correctly.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/hue_sat.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/hue_sat_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>3.  Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer</strong><br />We&#8217;ll be adding on a series of adjustment layers.  First up is a Hue/Saturation layer.  In the Layers panel, click the icon at the bottom of the panel to create a new adjustment layer and choose Hue/Saturation from the list.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/desaturate.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/desaturate_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a>In the settings for your Hue/Saturation layer, simply drag the Saturation slider all the way to the left (-100) to completely desaturate the image.  That&#8217;s all that is needed for this adjustment layer, so return to your Layers panel and click on the eye icon next to the Hue/Saturation layer to hide it.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/gradient_map.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/gradient_map_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>4.  Gradient Map</strong><br />Still in the Layers panel, click the create adjustment layer icon again and choose Gradient Map from the options.  Simply make sure that the gradient is the black to white gradient which is the default.  Now like you did before, return to the Layers panel and hide the Gradient Map layer.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/bw_adj.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/bw_adj_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>5.  Black &#038; White Adjustment Layer</strong><br />In the Layers panel, click the icon to add a Black &#038; White adjustment layer.  There&#8217;s no need to change any of the settings or options for this layer as it does a pretty decent job on its own.  Simply return to the Layers panel and hide the Black &#038; White adjustment layer. </p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/channel_mix_options.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/channel_mix_options_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>6.  Channel Mixer Layers</strong><br />Back in the Layers panel, click to add a new Channel Mixer adjustment layer.  From the main drop-down menu you&#8217;ll see an few preset options.  For this first layer, select the Black &#038; White Infrared option.  Then return to your Layers panel and hide the layer.</p>
<p>Repeat this process for each of the Channel Mixer presets:</p>
<ul>
<li>Black &#038; White with Blue Filter</li>
<li>Black &#038; White with Green Filter</li>
<li>Black &#038; White with Orange Filter</li>
<li>Black &#038; White with Red Filter</li>
<li>Black &#038; White with Yellow Filter</li>
</ul>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/layers_channels.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/layers_channels_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a>This may seem a little tedious right now, but keep in mind that you&#8217;re only going to have to do this once and your action will do all the heavy lifting from here on out.  Simply make sure that after you create each new adjustment layer and select a preset that you return to the Layers panel and hide that layer.  When you are done, your Layers panel should look like the illustration to the right.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><strong>7.  Layer Comps</strong><br />At this point, we&#8217;ve got all of our adjustment layers added to our document.  However, it would be tedious to have to flip through each of the layers one at a time to see the effects of the adjustments; this is where Layer Comps come in.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/layer_comp_hue_sat.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/layer_comp_hue_sat_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a>While your action is still recording, go back to the first Hue/Saturation adjustment layer you created in the Layers panel and click on the eye icon to show that layer&#8211;your photo and the Hue/Saturation layer are the only two layers that should be visible at this poing.  Bring up the Layer Comps panel (Window > Layer Comps) and click the little page icon in the bottom right corner of the panel to add a new layer comp.  Type in &#8220;Hue/Saturation&#8221; as the name of the comp and hit OK.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/layer_comps.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/layer_comps_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a>Now go back to your Layers panel, hide the Hue/Saturation layer and then click on the eye icon for the Gradient Map layer so that your photo and the Gradient Map are the only two visible layers.  Return to your Layer Comps panel and add a new comp called &#8220;Gradient Map&#8221;.  Return to the Layers panel and hide the Gradient Map again, then repeat the process for the rest of the layers.  By the end of the process, your Layer Comps panel should look like the illustration to the right. </p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/curves.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/curves_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>8.  Top It Off With Curves</strong><br />Just one last adjustment layer to add for a bit of flare.  In the Layers panel, click to add a new Curves adjustment layer and choose Medium Contrast from the presets drop-down.  Now return to the Layers panel and hide this layer.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/bw_review.jpg" rel="lightbox[2120]" rel="shadowbox[post-2120];player=img;" alt=""><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/bw_review_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>9.  Stop and Play!</strong><br />At this point, you can stop your action from recording by returning to the Actions panel (Window > Actions) and clicking on the stop icon at the bottom of the panel.</p>
<p>Now you can review the benefit of your hard work by pulling up the Layer Comps panel and clicking on the little box to the left of your comps to make that comp visible.  You can easily scroll through each of the comps to see which black and white adjustment looks best for the particular photo you&#8217;re working on at the time.</p>
<p><strong>10.  Fine Tune with Curves</strong><br />If one of the adjustments gets close but not quite there, there&#8217;s some fine tuning we can do.  You can now make your Curves layer visible at any time.  Since we added the Medium Contrast preset, it will intensify the shadows and highlights in your black and white layer.  If it&#8217;s too much contrast, simply lower the opacity of the Curves layer.  Still not satisfied?  Pull up the Curves adjustment panel and choose another preset or manipulate the curve on your own.</p>
<div class="quicktip">
<div class="actionTitle">Action Download &#8211; Not Yo Mama&#8217;s Black and White Conversion</div>
<p>Download the action below to your computer.  In Photoshop, go to the Actions panel (Window > Actions), hit the Options tab in the top right corner of the panel and choose Load Actions.<br />
<center><a href="/actions/GeekInspired-BlackAndWhiteConversion(mac).zip" target="_blank">Download Action</a> (Mac Version)<br />
<a href="/actions/GeekInspired-BlackAndWhiteConversion(win).zip" target="_blank">Download Action</a> (Windows Version)<br />
</center>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/photoshop-tips-advanced-black-and-white-conversion-using-actions/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>10 Tips for Taking Outdoor Pictures and Portraits</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/10-tips-for-taking-outdoor-pictures-and-portraits/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/10-tips-for-taking-outdoor-pictures-and-portraits/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=2370</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s warm and sunny outside and you&#8217;re all set to go out and take some pictures!  Shooting outdoors in the sunlight can create some unexpected results; exposure issues where your subject might either be too bright or too dark, squinty eyes in the sunlight and harsh lighting.
If you&#8217;re looking to make some photos that [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/20090322_132_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="Outdoor Photography Tips" class="left">It&#8217;s warm and sunny outside and you&#8217;re all set to go out and take some pictures!  Shooting outdoors in the sunlight can create some unexpected results; exposure issues where your subject might either be too bright or too dark, squinty eyes in the sunlight and harsh lighting.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re looking to make some photos that are more natural and pleasing, check out the following tips.  If you&#8217;re just now starting out, check out our <a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/10-tips-to-get-started-in-photography/" target="_blank">10 tips to get started in photography</a>.</p>
<p><span id="more-2370"></span></p>
<p><strong>1.  Get to know the sun</strong><br />
The best natural lighting will occur the hour or so before the sun sets and after the sun rises.  To get exact times for both sunrise and sunset, check out the <a href="http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php" target="_blank" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php?referer=');">USNO Sun and Moon Data</a> site.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/20090328_064.jpg" rel="lightbox[2370]" rel="shadowbox[post-2370];player=img;" alt=""><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/20090328_064_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>2.  Look for shade</strong><br />If you&#8217;ve got to shoot a portrait when the sun is out, look for some shade.  The shade will soften the light and make it easier for your subject not to squint.  There&#8217;s bound to be a tree or building nearby that you can use to escape direct sunlight.</p>
<p><strong>3.  Watch where you meter</strong><br />When you take a meter reading of the scene, typically your camera will adjust the exposure so that the brightest areas (areas in direct sunlight) are well exposed.  This will sometimes underexpose the shady areas and can be very challenging when shooting an outdoor portrait.</p>
<p>Try focusing on a shaded area (a shadow on the ground, or have your subject turn their back to the sun and focus in tight on their face) and take a meter reading.  Now take the photo; you might blow some highlights in the bright areas, but this will keep your subject well exposed and will create a bright, dynamic surrounding for them.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/20070703.jpg" rel="lightbox[2370]" rel="shadowbox[post-2370];player=img;" alt=""><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/20070703_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a>If you&#8217;re wanting to create a silhouette, reverse this technique.  Focus in on a very bright area (a big white cloud or the sun itself) and take your meter reading.  Take the photo and the bright sun or clouds will be well exposed, but your subject will be thrown in the dark creating a nice, crisp silhouette.</p>
<p><strong>4.  White balance</strong><br />
Your best bet here is to <a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/digital-photography-tips-white-balance-with-a-gray-card/" target="_blank">use a gray card</a>.  However, if you don&#8217;t have one (or forgot yours at home), then your best bet would be to put your White Balance setting on Cloudy, even for direct sunlight or shaded areas.  The Cloudy WB setting makes things a little warmer and gives you some nice, pleasing tones.</p>
<p>If all else fails, you can correct your White Balance settings afterwards using Camera Raw.  I mean, you are shooting in raw, right?  Right?!?</p>
<p><strong>5.  Use a reflector</strong><br />
A reflector can help bounce and direct light into areas where it might not normally go.  You can use a wide range of objects such as a white bed sheet, a white shirt, a white wall, or you can opt for a good <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/358606-REG/Impact_R1122_5_in_1_Reflector_Disc_.html/BI/3341/KBID/3341" target="_blank" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/358606-REG/Impact_R1122_5_in_1_Reflector_Disc_.html/BI/3341/KBID/3341?referer=');">collapsible reflector</a>.</p>
<p>If using a translucent material, the reflector can also double as a diffuser.  If you&#8217;re in an open area without any shade, you can use the material to shade your subject from direct sunlight.</p>
<p><strong>6.  Be aware of your surroundings</strong><br />
When photographing outdoors, you have limitless possibilities of interesting elements that can benefit your photos.  There are also a large number of elements that can be distracting.</p>
<p>Watch out for parking lots, traffic, street signs, power lines, etc.  Depending on the type of photos you&#8217;re taking, these things can be distracting.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/20070708_064.jpg" rel="lightbox[2370]" rel="shadowbox[post-2370];player=img;" alt=""><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/20070708_064_sm.jpg" border="0" class="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 15px 5px;"></a><strong>7.  Freeze the action</strong><br />Being outside in the daylight can allow for faster shutter speeds, which makes it easier to &#8220;freeze&#8221; motion.  If shooting sports or action, use a shutter speed for at least 1/250 second to stop the action.</p>
<p><strong>8.  Sunny Day 16 Rule</strong><br />
For quick reference to exposure, remember the Sunny Day 16 rule.  On a sunny day, set your aperture at f/16.  Now your ISO speed will be relative to your shutter speed.  For example, setting your ISO at 200 will mean that setting your shutter speed at 1/200 or 1/250 will result in an accurate exposure.</p>
<p>If shooting in the shade, simply change your aperture to f/8 and the rule still applies!</p>
<p><strong>9.  Narrow your depth of field</strong><br />
When shooting portraits, try opening up your aperture to f/2.8 or f/4.  This not only helps to separate your subject from the background, but can also make something as drab as a line of trees into an interesting and beautiful backdrop.</p>
<p><strong>10.  Don&#8217;t forget the water!</strong><br />
One of my first outdoor shoots was during the middle of summer.  The session was meant to last 30 minutes but ended up going an hour longer.  I was hot and sweaty and extremely thirsty, but we were nowhere near a water fountain or gas station, so I just had to deal with it.  Ever since then, I&#8217;ve made sure that there was a water bottle packed in my bag.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/10-tips-for-taking-outdoor-pictures-and-portraits/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Flash Photography Tips &#8211; Intro to Softboxes</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/flash-photography-tips-intro-to-softboxes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/flash-photography-tips-intro-to-softboxes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=1024</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In a perfect world, photographic umbrellas are all we would need to control our lighting.  However, there are some cases when you need more control and directionality from your light source.  This is where softboxes come in.
The basic principle of a softbox is the same as an umbrella: it provides a layer of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/softbox_small.jpg" alt="Small Softbox" />In a perfect world, <a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/flash-photography-tips-intro-to-photographic-umbrellas/" alt="">photographic umbrellas</a> are all we would need to control our lighting.  However, there are some cases when you need more control and directionality from your light source.  This is where softboxes come in.</p>
<p>The basic principle of a softbox is the same as an umbrella: it provides a layer of diffusion that increases the effective size of your light source.  Where softboxes differ is that their construction only allows light to pass through the diffusion material in the front.  The sides and back are blocked, minimizing the spill of light.</p>
<p>  <span id="more-1024"></span></p>
<p>Some softboxes contain a smaller inner layer of diffusion material.  This helps to cut down on the &#8220;hot spot&#8221; that may occur in the center of the main layer of diffusion and provides a more even distribution of light.</p>
<p>Like umbrellas, softboxes are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes.  Small to medium softboxes are ideal for headshots, small product photography, food photography, etc.  Your larger softboxes are typically used if you&#8217;re going to shoot full-length portraiture or small groups of people.</p>
<p>Some different shapes that are available:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Square Softbox</strong> &#8211; Most of your smaller softboxes are square in shape.</li>
<li><strong>Rectangular Softbox</strong> &#8211; Most softboxes are rectangular and can have the longer size turned vertically or horizontally, depending on your needs.</li>
<li><strong>Strip Light Softbox</strong> &#8211;  Long and thin, these softboxes are typically used as a side light, rim light or hair light.</li>
<li><strong>Octabox</strong> &#8211; An 8-sided softbox that increases the effective size of your light source more so than a typical softbox.  </li>
</ul>
<p>Most softboxes attach to your studio strobes by a speedring.  However, Nashville, TN-based company, Alien Bees, offers <a href="http://www.alienbees.com/foldable_detail.html" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.alienbees.com/foldable_detail.html?referer=');">foldable softboxes</a> which are much easier to transport and assemble than the speedring softboxes I&#8217;ve used in the past.</p>
<p>Some softboxes are made for portable flashes:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/552448-REG/Lastolite_LL_LS2463_Hot_Shoe_EZYBOX_Softbox.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/552448-REG/Lastolite_LL_LS2463_Hot_Shoe_EZYBOX_Softbox.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Lastolite EZYBOX</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/62245-REG/Westcott_2334_Apollo_Mono_Softbox_with.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/62245-REG/Westcott_2334_Apollo_Mono_Softbox_with.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Westcott Apollo</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/13259-REG/Chimera_1740_Maxi_Softbox_White_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/13259-REG/Chimera_1740_Maxi_Softbox_White_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Chimera Maxi Softbox</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/42122-REG/Photoflex_XT_20XTXS_LiteDome_Q39_Softbox_White.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/42122-REG/Photoflex_XT_20XTXS_LiteDome_Q39_Softbox_White.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Photoflex LiteDome</a></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/octabox_grid.jpg" rel="lightbox[1024]" rel="shadowbox[post-1024];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/octabox_grid_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a>Another benefit that softboxes give you over umbrellas is the ability to restrict or feather the light.  You can attach a grid to a softbox to control the directionality of the light and to further limit the spill of light to the sides.</p>
<p>Angling the softbox slighting away from your subject, a technique known as <strong>feathering</strong>, will give you even softer light. </p>
<p>The ability to have more control over the light is why many photographers prefer using softboxes over umbrellas.  Those benefits do come with a price, however, since softboxes are typically more expensive than umbrellas.  Most small softboxes can range from $30-$80 while medium and large softboxes will cost upwards of $100.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/flash-photography-tips-intro-to-softboxes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Flash Photography Tips &#8211; Intro to Photographic Umbrellas</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/flash-photography-tips-intro-to-photographic-umbrellas/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/flash-photography-tips-intro-to-photographic-umbrellas/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:51:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=893</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The photographic umbrella is one of the fundamental tools of off-camera flash photography.  Because of the low cost, ease of use and effective ability to increase the size of the light source, an umbrella (or brolly) is a useful utility for new and experienced photographers alike.
An umbrella is a light modifier; it modifies the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/20080921_001.jpg" rel="lightbox[893]" rel="shadowbox[post-893];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/20080921_001_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="left"></a>The photographic umbrella is one of the fundamental tools of off-camera flash photography.  Because of the low cost, ease of use and effective ability to increase the size of the light source, an umbrella (or brolly) is a useful utility for new and experienced photographers alike.</p>
<p>An umbrella is a light modifier; it modifies the size and intensity of light emitted from your flash and gives you more control.  Over the next few articles we&#8217;ll be looking at different light modifiers and the benefits of each.  Let&#8217;s start now and look at the benefits that umbrellas give us. </p>
<p> <span id="more-893"></span></p>
<p><strong>Low cost</strong><br />
Probably the best news about umbrellas are the low cost.  You can get a good umbrella for around $20 depending on the size and type you need.</p>
<p><div class="goog"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-1002355561769293";
google_ad_slot = "3400015798";
google_ad_width = 250;
google_ad_height = 250;
//--></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>
</div><strong>Variety</strong><br />
You have a few choices when it comes to types of umbrellas.</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63314-REG/Westcott_2001_Collapsible_Umbrella_Optical.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63314-REG/Westcott_2001_Collapsible_Umbrella_Optical.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">White umbrellas</a> &#8211; This is the most versatile type as you can shoot through the umbrella or bounce the light off the umbrella (see illustration below for explanation).  </li>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63313-REG/Westcott_2002_Umbrella_Soft_Silver_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63313-REG/Westcott_2002_Umbrella_Soft_Silver_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Silver umbrellas</a> &#8211; These can only be used in the bounce configuration, but because the material is shiny silver you can typically get a stop or two more light than you get with a white umbrella. </li>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63321-REG/Westcott_4625_Umbrella_Metalized_Gold_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63321-REG/Westcott_4625_Umbrella_Metalized_Gold_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Gold umbrellas</a> &#8211; Same benefits as the silver, but will give you a warmer tone.  These are typically more expensive than the silver umbrellas.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/501164-REG/Westcott_2011_43_White_Umbrella_Collapsible.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/501164-REG/Westcott_2011_43_White_Umbrella_Collapsible.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">White umbrellas with removable back</a> &#8211; These umbrellas give you the versatility of white umbrellas, but have a black removable back that can be used to provide a more efficient return of light when used in the bounce configuration.  You can also reverse the backing and encapsulate the flash.  This helps control the spill of light and is what most call a true &#8220;brolly&#8221; configuration.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Ease of Use</strong><br />
Basically open the umbrella up, attach it to the strobe or <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart&#038;A=details&#038;Q=&#038;sku=298709&#038;is=REG/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart_038_A=details_038_Q=_038_sku=298709_038_is=REG/BI/2507/KBID/3341&amp;referer=');">umbrella adapter</a> and you&#8217;re all set.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/umbrella_setup.jpg" rel="lightbox[893]" rel="shadowbox[post-893];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/umbrella_setup_sm.jpg" alt="" class="right" style="border:solid 1px #000000;"></a><strong>Positioning</strong><br />
With any umbrella setup, you aim your flash away from your subject.  This way the light hits the open umbrella and a wide spread of light bounces back toward your subject.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re using a white umbrella, you have the option of shooting through the umbrella material.  In this configuration, you aim the flash at your subject.  The light hits the umbrella and spreads before reaching your subject. </p>
<p><strong>Quality of Light</strong><br />
In lighting, the bigger your light source, the softer the light.  If you want really soft light, then you want to get the apparent size of the light source as big as possible.  Setting up your flash so that the light bounces off of your umbrella will give you a nice big light source, though you will lose a stop or two which may be crucial if shooting outside in daylight.</p>
<p>If shooting through the umbrella, the spread of light isn&#8217;t as wide and soft.  However, you can get your umbrella and flash very close to your subject and conserve more power than you could if you were bouncing the light off the umbrella.  Depending on the size of your subject, getting the umbrella closer could provide an effective increase in apparent size of the light source resulting in nice, soft light.</p>
<p><strong>Ready to buy?</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63314-REG/Westcott_2001_Collapsible_Umbrella_Optical.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63314-REG/Westcott_2001_Collapsible_Umbrella_Optical.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Westcott 43&#8243; &#8211; White</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/501164-REG/Westcott_2011_43_White_Umbrella_Collapsible.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/501164-REG/Westcott_2011_43_White_Umbrella_Collapsible.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Westcott 43&#8243; &#8211; White w/ Removable Backing</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63313-REG/Westcott_2002_Umbrella_Soft_Silver_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63313-REG/Westcott_2002_Umbrella_Soft_Silver_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Westcott 43&#8243; &#8211; Silver</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63321-REG/Westcott_4625_Umbrella_Metalized_Gold_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341" alt="" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/63321-REG/Westcott_4625_Umbrella_Metalized_Gold_.html/BI/2507/KBID/3341?referer=');">Westcott 45&#8243; &#8211; Gold</a></ul>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/flash-photography-tips-intro-to-photographic-umbrellas/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Get It Local &#8211; Pocket Wizard Sync Cables</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/get-it-local-pocket-wizard-sync-cables/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/get-it-local-pocket-wizard-sync-cables/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:57:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=846</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One thing that&#8217;s kept me in a perpetual state of wonderment is how in the world Radio Shack is still in business.  Seriously.  I remember buying some walkie-talkies from them when I was 12 years old and they seemed to be on their last leg even then.  Please don&#8217;t get me wrong; [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/20080916_001.jpg" rel="lightbox[846]" rel="shadowbox[post-846];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/20080916_001_sm1.jpg" border="0" alt=""></a>One thing that&#8217;s kept me in a perpetual state of wonderment is how in the world Radio Shack is still in business.  Seriously.  I remember buying some walkie-talkies from them when I was 12 years old and they seemed to be on their last leg even then.  Please don&#8217;t get me wrong; I don&#8217;t particularly have anything against Radio Shack, I just fail to see how they&#8217;ve remained in business all these years.  I mean, in the present day economy we&#8217;ve got the Lehman Bros. bankruptcy and the sale of Merrill Lynch, yet we can still trust Radio Shack to ask for our phone number when we buy batteries.*   </p>
<p>I pretty much had to eat my words this past weekend.  I had a portrait session coming up and realized I was a sync cable short for connecting my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GHXMO8?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=geekinsp-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325&#038;creativeASIN=B000GHXMO8" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GHXMO8?ie=UTF8_038_tag=geekinsp-20_038_linkCode=as2_038_camp=1789_038_creative=9325_038_creativeASIN=B000GHXMO8&amp;referer=');">Pocket Wizard</a> to my <a href="http://www.alienbees.com/b1600.html" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.alienbees.com/b1600.html?referer=');">Alien Bees AB-1600</a>.  I usually order my sync cables from <a href="http://www.flashzebra.com/wizardcables/index.shtml" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.flashzebra.com/wizardcables/index.shtml?referer=');">FlashZebra.com</a>, but I knew I wouldn&#8217;t have time to get it delivered.  I couldn&#8217;t trust Walmart or Target to have the cable I needed.  Thus, my only hopeful source: the local neighborhood Radio Shack.<span id="more-846"></span><div class="goog"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-1002355561769293";
google_ad_slot = "3400015798";
google_ad_width = 250;
google_ad_height = 250;
//--></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>
</div></p>
<p>The mini plug sync cables that I use look exactly like 1/8&#8243; mono audio cables.  When I first started using Pocket Wizards to sync my lighting gear, I tried using a stereo audio cable to no avail.  That&#8217;s what made me think that there was something technically different about the sync cables I&#8217;d bought online.  I&#8217;d read online where many people said that an audio cable worked for them, so I figured I&#8217;d give a mono audio cable a try.</p>
<p>Radio Shack did not let me down.  They had a 3&#8242; mono audio cable for $2 cheaper than the 6&#8243; cable I&#8217;d bought online.  I got it home and plugged it in and it worked great.  </p>
<p>So, a few lessons I learned.</p>
<ol>
<li>Radio Shack is still of some use to me.</li>
<li>Stereo audio cables ARE NOT reliable when syncing Pocket Wizards to a strobe that has an 1/8&#8243; mini phone sync port. </li>
<li>Mono audio cables ARE reliable when syncing Pocket Wizards to the aforementioned strobes.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you aren&#8217;t sure how to tell the difference between a mono plug and an stereo plug, please refer to the main image for this article.  See the one black ring around the tip of the plug?  That means it&#8217;s mono.  If it had two rings, it&#8217;d be stereo. </p>
<p>* I trust that someone will pick up on the somewhat obscure reference?</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/get-it-local-pocket-wizard-sync-cables/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Beginning Photography Tips &#8211; Don&#8217;t Underestimate Snapshots</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/beginning-photography-tips-dont-underestimate-snapshots/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/beginning-photography-tips-dont-underestimate-snapshots/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2008 11:00:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=92</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I personally have two cameras.  I have a DSLR which I use in my professional work, and I have a smaller point-and-shoot which basically serves as a knockaround camera, or one that I can easily take with me when I don&#8217;t have room for my pro rig.
I&#8217;ve got so much gear which I use [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/20080831_001.jpg" rel="lightbox[92]" rel="shadowbox[post-92];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/20080831_001_sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""></a>I personally have two cameras.  I have a DSLR which I use in my professional work, and I have a smaller point-and-shoot which basically serves as a <em>knockaround</em> camera, or one that I can easily take with me when I don&#8217;t have room for my pro rig.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve got so much gear which I use with my DSLR that when I get the point-and-shoot in my hands, I feel like it&#8217;s not even worth taking out of the bag.  On many occasions, such as holidays or family functions, I&#8217;ve neglected to take any pictures because the only camera I had was my measly little point-and-shoot.</p>
<p><span id="more-92"></span></p>
<p>Then something happened.  You see, every December I&#8217;ll compile a photo album of stuff that&#8217;s happened the previous year.  This is for personal use only; just to take around to family as we visit them for the holidays.  The first few years I did this I crammed in mostly my serious photographs with only a handful of family snapshots.  I did this mostly because the family snapshots were just that; <em>snapshots</em>.  I took no time composing them, no time setting up lights or hauling my gear around.  I just gathered the family together, set the auto-timer on my camera, and that was that.  A monkey could&#8217;ve taken those pictures.</p>
<p>Then I began to notice that these snapshots were what my family was thriving on.  Sure, they love to see what I&#8217;ve been up to professionally all year.  But, to them, the important thing is family.  It&#8217;s being able to see how children have grown or how hairstyles have changed over the year.  To them, there&#8217;s not a seriously composed portrait that I could shoot that would replace that.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/20080322_005.jpg" rel="lightbox[92]" rel="shadowbox[post-92];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/20080322_005_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a>After I realized this, I started using my point-and-shoot more.  I started taking more snapshots to capture a family moment instead of thinking how it was going to fit into my professional portfolio.</p>
<p>In a way it renewed the thrill of photography for me.  Sometimes we have to stop taking ourselves so seriously and remember the real reasons we got into photography in the first place.  This isn&#8217;t to say that you can&#8217;t be creative with family snapshots or put more thought into them.  What better way to impress a family member than to give them the full-pro treatment?  Just don&#8217;t be afraid to pull out that old point-and-shoot, turn on the on-camera flash, cast away all pretension, and take a snapshot.</p>
<p>In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321544080?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=bluewirecom-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325&#038;creativeASIN=0321544080" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321544080?ie=UTF8_038_tag=bluewirecom-20_038_linkCode=as2_038_camp=1789_038_creative=9325_038_creativeASIN=0321544080&amp;referer=');">The Moment It Clicks</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=bluewirecom-20&#038;l=as2&#038;o=1&#038;a=0321544080" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />, legendary magazine photographer Joe McNally pretty much sums it up when he says, &#8220;In my helter-skelter pursuit of big pictures, I ignored too many quieter, close-to-home moments.  As I look back, I wish I had more of &#8216;em.&#8221;</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/beginning-photography-tips-dont-underestimate-snapshots/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Beginning Photography Tips &#8211; Fill the Frame</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/beginning-photography-tips-fill-the-frame/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/beginning-photography-tips-fill-the-frame/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=58</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In one of my college photography courses, one of the most helpful (and simple) tips I learned was from my black and white photography professor when he said, &#8220;If you&#8217;re having trouble with your photography, try getting closer.&#8221;
After thinking on this for awhile I looked back over my shots and saw that, for any given [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/fill_frame_main.jpg" border="0">In one of my college photography courses, one of the most helpful (and simple) tips I learned was from my black and white photography professor when he said, &#8220;If you&#8217;re having trouble with your photography, try getting <em>closer</em>.&#8221;</p>
<p>After thinking on this for awhile I looked back over my shots and saw that, for any given subject, I was backing up or zooming out so that I was sure to get the most content within the frame (frame, here, meaning the confines of your camera&#8217;s sensor, not the big wooden square hanging on your wall).  To many beginning photographers, the concept of &#8220;filling the frame&#8221; means &#8220;fill the picture with as much extraneous content as humanly possible,&#8221; which is exactly what I was trying to do.  The subject of my pictures was unclear because I had included a lot of its surrounding environment.</p>
<p><span id="more-58"></span></p>
<p>An important element of photography (and art in general) is <em>simplicity</em>.  When composing your shot, take a moment to think about what the subject of your photo is and how it can have the most impact on the viewer.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/traci_closeup.jpg" rel="lightbox[58]" rel="shadowbox[post-58];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/traci_closeup_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a>Take for example this picture I took of my wife at our favorite vacation resort.  At the time, she was swimming in a crowded pool.  I didn&#8217;t want everyone else in the picture, just her.  So, I sat by the edge of the pool and pointed the camera straight down at her.</p>
<p>Some might think that cropping off the top of your subject&#8217;s head may not be proper portrait composition, but it&#8217;s an excellent way to get closer to your subject and give their face more impact.</p>
<p>Tightening your framing can also serve other purposes such as creating a sense of infinity, as detailed in <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/using-tight-framing-to-create-a-sense-of-infinity/" target="_blank" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/digital-photography-school.com/blog/using-tight-framing-to-create-a-sense-of-infinity/?referer=');">this article</a> by Digital-Photography-School.com.  When photographing a scene where repetitive elements come into play, you can compose your shot so that neither the beginning nor the end is in view, giving the sense that the subject continues on forever.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/closeup_letters.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"><strong>Now It&#8217;s Your Turn</strong><br />
Bryan Peterson, author of  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817463003?ie=UTF8&#038;tag=geekinsp-20&#038;linkCode=as2&#038;camp=1789&#038;creative=9325&#038;creativeASIN=0817463003" target="_blank" onclick="urchinTracker('/outgoing/www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817463003?ie=UTF8_038_tag=geekinsp-20_038_linkCode=as2_038_camp=1789_038_creative=9325_038_creativeASIN=0817463003&amp;referer=');">Understanding Digital Photography</a>, offers an excellent &#8220;fill the frame&#8221; exercise of taking shots of nothing but letters and numbers for a whole week.  These can be characters from street signs, mailboxes, business signs, junkyards, antique stores, etc.  Keep it interesting and go for characters with different colors, textures, and depth.
</p>
<p>Not your style?  Then grab another simple object, such as a piece of fruit, a cup of coffee, or your favorite camera accessory and practice filling the frame creatively.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/beginning-photography-tips-fill-the-frame/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Digital Photography Workflow &#8211; High Contrast Effect from Start to Finish</title>
		<link>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/digital-photography-workflow-high-contrast-effect-from-start-to-finish/</link>
		<comments>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/digital-photography-workflow-high-contrast-effect-from-start-to-finish/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 25 Aug 2008 11:00:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bo Boswell</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photoshop]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.geekinspired.com/?p=639</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Your digital photography workflow is important because it&#8217;s the process that you employ to create an image.  Each step in the workflow is important as it makes each sub-sequent step easier and makes the overall workflow more efficient, allowing you to devote more time and energy to creating great images.
One key to creating great [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/main_image.jpg" rel="lightbox[639]" rel="shadowbox[post-639];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/main_image_sm.jpg" border="0" alt=""></a>Your digital photography workflow is important because it&#8217;s the process that you employ to create an image.  Each step in the workflow is important as it makes each sub-sequent step easier and makes the overall workflow more efficient, allowing you to devote more time and energy to creating great images.</p>
<p>One key to creating great images is starting with a great photo and then enhancing the photo further in Photoshop.  In this tutorial, I&#8217;ll explain how I setup the lighting and composition for the photo and then used Lightroom and Photoshop to end up with the final image.</p>
<p><span id="more-639"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center" align="left"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/image_comparison.jpg" rel="lightbox[639]" rel="shadowbox[post-639];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/image_comparison_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="center"></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/lighting_setup.jpg" rel="lightbox[639]" rel="shadowbox[post-639];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/lighting_setup_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a><strong>Photo Setup</strong><br />I found a nice indoor location with a rustic window, but you can really do an image like this in front of any window.  This session took place about 2 hours before sunset.  The sun was behind some clouds at the time, so we were getting some nice soft natural lighting coming in through the window.  I positioned a flash about 6&#8242; behind the model and had it firing through a white umbrella.  </p>
<p>Because I was balancing soft ambient light with a flash, I first took an exposure reading for the ambient and then worked in the flash.  1/125 sec at f/2.8 gave me good basic exposure, so I played with the flash until I had a good balance and ended up with the flash at about 1/4 power.</p>
<p>The White Balance on my camera was set to daylight, which gave some nice natural tones to the ambient light.  I put a CTO (color temperature orange) gel on my flash to give it a warmer tone.  Had I left the gel off, the color of light would&#8217;ve been the same as the light on the front of the model.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/lightroom_adj.jpg" rel="lightbox[639]" rel="shadowbox[post-639];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/lightroom_adj_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a><strong>Lightroom Adjustments</strong><br />After taking several shots, it&#8217;s time to import the photos into Lightroom.  On a side note, you don&#8217;t have to use Lightroom, you can easily use Adobe Bridge that ships with Photoshop.  Once in Lightroom, I only made some slight adjustments to the image.  The overall image was a little dark, so I increased the exposure from 0 to .40.  I had to bring up the Recovery just a bit to 15 because I had an area that was clipping highlights.  </p>
<p>To lighten up some of the darker areas, I increased the Fill Light to 16.  As a general practice, anytime I increase the Fill Light I&#8217;ll bring up the Blacks a little bit.  In this case, I increased Blacks to 7, then opened the image inside Photoshop.</p>
<p><strong>Editing in Photoshop</strong><br />
1. The first thing to do inside Photoshop is duplicate the image (Cmd/Crtl + J) and use the Clone Stamp Tool, Healing Brush Tool and Patch Tool to remove blemishes and random artifacts from the model&#8217;s skin and clothing.  Please see our other <a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/category/graphic-design/photoshop/" alt="">Photoshop Tips and Tutorials</a> for more advice on using these tools for basic blemish removal.  After all blemishes are removed, merge the layers together by clicking Cmd/Ctrl + E.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/color_hpf.jpg" alt="Color Adjustment" class="right" />2. Duplicate the image, name the layer &#8220;Color&#8221;, then change the blending mode of the new layer to Color.  With this layer still selected, go to Filter > Other > High Pass&#8230;  Set the Radius to 2, hit OK, and then change the opacity of the layer to 30%. </p>
<p style="clear: both;"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/overlay_hpf.jpg" alt="Color Adjustment" class="right" />3. Select the original image and duplicate it again.  Drag the new layer to the top of the layer stack and name it &#8220;Overlay&#8221;.  Change the blending mode to Overlay, then go back to Filter > Other > High Pass&#8230;  Set the Radius to 2, then hit OK. </p>
<p style="clear: both;">4.  Hit Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + E to merge all layers.  To add yet another level of contrast, duplicate the image (Cmd/Ctrl + J), change the blending mode to Hard Light and, one last time, go to Filter > Other > High Pass&#8230;  This time, crank the Radius up to 80 and hit OK.  Drop the layer&#8217;s opacity to 20-30% and then hit Cmd/Ctrl + E to merge the layers. <div align="center" style="text-align:center;"><script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-1002355561769293";
google_ad_slot = "3943716950";
google_ad_width = 468;
google_ad_height = 60;
//--></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>
</div><br/></p>
<p style="clear: both; margin: 25px 0px 0px 0px;"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/lens_blur.jpg" rel="lightbox[639]" rel="shadowbox[post-639];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/lens_blur_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a>5.  Duplicate the image again (Cmd/Ctrl + J&#8230;but you know that by now, right?) and go to Filter > Blur > Lens Blur.  In the Iris section, change the Shape to Hexagon (6) and bump the Radius up to 50.  Leave all other settings as default and click OK.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/selection.jpg" rel="lightbox[639]" rel="shadowbox[post-639];player=img;" ref="lightbox[images]"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/selection_sm.jpg" border="0" alt="" class="right"></a>6.  Make sure the lens blur layer is still selected and grab the Lasso Tool (L).  Draw a loose, sloppy circle around the image.  With the selection still active, go to Select > Modify > Feather&#8230;  Set the Feather Radius to 200px and hit OK.  Now hit your Delete key to erase the selected area of your image.  Drop the layer&#8217;s opacity to 80%.</p>
<p style="clear: both;"><img src="http://www.geekinspired.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/multiply_layer.jpg" alt="Multiply Layer" class="right" />7.  Select the base layer now and duplicate it one last time.  Make sure the new layer is between the base layer and the lens blur layer in the Layers palette.   Change the layer&#8217;s blend mode to Multiply.</p>
<p>Hold down your Cmd or Ctrl key and click on the thumbnail for the lens blur layer to re-select its pixel transparency.  We actually need to inverse this selection, so go to Select > Inverse.  Now, with the middle multiply layer still selected, hit your Delete key to delete the selected contents of this layer. </p>
<p>Hit Cmd/Ctrl + D to deselect the selection area and change this layer&#8217;s opacity to 20%.</p>
<p>You can now merge all layers and admire your finished image.</p>
<p>This is a sample of a workflow I&#8217;ll commonly use on images, from start to finish.  Starting with a good image with good lighting and composition makes the time spent inside Photoshop more fun and more productive.  While this style won&#8217;t work for every image, it&#8217;s a very appealing and worth trying on for photos with this style of lighting.</p>
<p><strong>Also, be sure to check out:</strong> <script type="text/javascript" LANGUAGE="javascript" src="http://www.qksz.net/1e-g9jc"> </script></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.geekinspired.com/photography/digital-photography-workflow-high-contrast-effect-from-start-to-finish/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>5</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
