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365 Self Portrait Project

12.31.2008 | Photography

I learned of this as a thread on the forum which you can find here:
Michael The Mentor Forum 365 Self Portrait Project thread

and it turns out to be a really great way to improve your photography, well known on many forums:
365 Self Portrait Project

The only real rules are that you have to be in the picture in some way, and be the one pushing the shutter button. You can use timers or remotes but you have take a picture of yourself. Photoshopping and any type of post processing is fair game. Because I know I am going to get crazy about this, I am adding a few other rules:

A. I can use videos. If I make a video, and it has my voice on it, its game. This includes random blabbing about whatever.
B. I can take multiple pictures on one day and post them over the period of several days.
C. If someone approaches me and asks to take my picture for the 365 Project (if I am on a wedding shoot or a Michael The Mentor Photorgraphy Festival for example) I can use this image as long as they asked, are in the picture, press the shutter, and send me the image through email. I dont think Im going to get a lot of these, but there you have it.
D. Costumes, props, just plain sillness and any other way to be creative is game.

I also reserve the right to add a few rules here and there as we go, as I am sure tweaks will be needed.

I want to note how absolutely nervous and uncomfortable I am with this idea. I have been thinking about it for about 6 weeks now and have thought myself out of it make times, still it comes back as something I should try. I know this feeling, its like when I was debating taking up skydiving. I HATE having my picture taken still, I see it as a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow and especially force me to think creatively. Ive seen some really amazing growth with the students doing this on the forum and I need to try it out…yes for a year.

So essentially what this means, is you can expect a new image of me, everyday, right here on the ol’ blog.

Adobe Sneakiness

12.31.2008 | Photography

I love my Adobe Products, but you have to hear this one.

I have a Canon 5DII, as you know, which takes great images and I like to shoot in RAW. The current RAW program in CS3 is RAW 4.6, which in Photoshop cannot support the 5DII’s RAW files. Lightroom 2, which also uses RAW 4.6, oddly, can, which tells me 4.6 in CS3 probably can too if someone (Adobe) wanted it to.

Furthermore, it is impossible to get the new RAW (5.2 or something like that onto CS3).

So I decide to take the simple route, upgrade Photoshop CS3 to CS4, its only $200 right? WRONG!

Because I bought a production bundle for CS3 last year, Adobe will only allow me to upgrade with another Production Bundle.

To top it off, in order to get my money back for the upgrade, I have to go through a lengthy “form submission” process and wait 2-6 weeks. LOL!

So, if you have a production bundle and are thinking you can upgrade just Photoshop CS3 to CS4…you can’t!

Temple Square

12.31.2008 | Photography

I know Ive been slacking big time on my photography…I feel awful about it. This is, after all a photography blog.

Well..tomorrow you will probably want to come back and read some of my New Year’s Resolutions, one of which is to post a picture, every day, get this…of myself. Im totally uncomfortable with this idea, I hate having pictures taken of me in a huge way. However, there is a thread in the forum called the 365 Self Portrait and I have been so impressed with the creativity of beginning photographers in this that I simply have to try it. More on this to come.

Ive made a new friend who is just starting to get into photography. Its fun because I dont think she completely understands who I am and what I do, but when she first mentioned to me that she was just getting into photography, I said “thats cool…I might be able to help you learn….” 🙂 We went down to Temple Square in Salt Lake City for a quick lesson on long exposures using a Tripod. I gave her a copy of the Digital Photography Crash Course to help her get started.

These are some images taken with the 5D II, in RAW and processed in Lightroom 2. Its the first shoot Ive done in 2 months, my hands have been so tied up with the Photoshop Crash Course and Canon 50D DVD, and then the marketing for them.

Not much, but it was good to shoot again, and I am recommitting myself to getting creative with my photography.