BetterPhotoJim

More Photos From the Bike Trip

Just a couple more pictures today... Will write more as soon as I can. For now, I have to get back on the back and put some miles under my tires...

What's New at BetterPhoto?

All Lit Up © Mike Carpenter All rights reserved

There's so much exciting stuff going on at BetterPhoto™, it's hard to know where to begin this week!

First, of course, is our First Annual Summit! We have so many great talks by our BetterPhoto instructors planned, and some really valuable open Q&A time. It's not too late to sign up! The Summit runs September 9-11 in Seattle, and we're really hoping to see you there!

At the End of the Rainbow © Jim Miotke All rights reserved

Second, is Jim's great new book, The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography. It's the August Book of the Month in the BetterPhoto Bookstore which means FREE shipping! Awesome! Plus, there's lots of other great books and DVDs available in the Bookstore – check it out!

We're working on some talks/book signings for Jim in Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area – BP members in those areas, keep your eyes peeled for an invitation to Jim's bookstore events later this year!

And last, but not least, it's time already for the next BetterPhoto Member Survey! We'll be rolling that out in early September, and look forward, as always, to your feedback and suggestions.

Have a great week, everyone!

Sunrise in Port Angeles

Yesterday morning I rode down to the ferry terminal in Port Angeles and photographed some silhouettes as the sun rose. Gorgeous morning - well worth the 5am wake-up call.

First I did a self-portrait, setting the camera into the timer mode and cycling quickly to get into position. This took several ride-bys...

Capturing silhouettes like this is actually simple, as long as you can lock your exposure. If your camera allows you to point the camera at a particular area, press down a button to take and hold an exposure meter reading, and then recompose... you're in business. Meter off the sky, without including the sun itself and you should get a nice, rich black silhouette.

I also had fun experimenting with Bogen's Magic Arm. Bryan Peterson turned me on to this cool device a few years ago but this morning was the first time I actually tried it out. I had a blast. Mind you, these are my first attempts... I hope to capture a few more exciting images (with a dramatic, scenic background and a greater expression of motion) during the next three days of riding.

Wish me luck, if you believe in that sort of thing :)

Yosemite Lakes California Camping

#01: Youngs Lake, Yosemite © Robert N. Tuttle

Hi everyone,

At Yosemite National Park, Ansel Adams developed his photography AND his reputation - all in magnificent black and white. But as BetterPhoto™ members and instructors have since proved, this mountain showplace in California's Sierra Nevada looks great in color too!

Also, Yosemite's visual attractions extend far beyond its famed attractions (i.e., Half Dome, El Capitan and tall waterfalls). In fact, there's so much of visual interest - from big scenics and intimate details, to wildlife and a picturesque mountain chapel, and to Yosemite lakes California camping.

And, at Yosemite, the out-of-doors is never out-of-season, since all four seasons are up for visual grabs by innovative photographers. In fact, BetterPhoto members and instructors show off their creative images in this fine gallery:
Yosemite Lakes California Camping & Other Photos

That's it for now. Enjoy your photography!
Kerry Drager

A Few Friends I've Met When Cycle Touring

At the end of the second day, fellow cyclists (who knew I was into photography) had stopped ahead of me and flagged me down. They had spotted a family of sea otters on the shore. I had just enough time to switch my street zoom for a 75-300 telephoto.

Just after that I came up to this friend critter, a little less wild than the otters above...

After I asked the owner if I could take the Bijon's picture, the owner - who was from out of town like myself - said that "Pepe" had been getting a lot of attention. His picture was in the paper that day. Pepe had just won a blue ribbon at a local "Bijon Frise Bash".

On the Road Again

I am typing this as I sit in my tent, camped out on the lawn of a school in Port Angeles, Washington. I am here with 199 other cycling enthusiasts but I'll wager that I am one of the few who opted to drag along their laptop. I justified the extra weight with the fact that, as a digital photographer, a laptop provides the best way to offload images from my Compact Flash memory cards. I could use another portable storage device such as a Flashtrax, but I like the fact that the laptop offers additional uses - such as the ability to write this blog entry.

Of course, the downside (besides weight) is the fact that I must always be on the lookout for power. It's like I feed on electricity, always keeping an eye out for outlets to plug into. Right now I have 80% of my battery left, which gives me another 4 hours. As I will be more out in the boonies over the next three days, I plan to "stock up" on electricity at an internet cafe while I upload this blog entry.

We started our ride yesterday in Bellingham, which is just shy of the Canadian border. While most people camped out at the start line, my family and I stayed at Hotel Bellweather in the Waterfront district. This hotel has it's own dock and many guests boat in to spend the night. It also has one very expensive room with three levels in a mini lighthouse; it comes complete with a butler.

We opted for a "regular" room but even it was so nice that we decided to stay in and order room service for dinner. And whoa.. was it ever delicious. I felt like I was having my last meal before the execution - a slow torture over about 400 miles to the Oregon border. Hopefully the photos will be worth it. Here are a few from these first 147 miles:

I share more details and pictures next time...

Pacific Northwest Fieldtrips – BetterPhoto Pre-Summit

Whoa! I caught a look at the possibilities in store for those of you who are attending the pre-summit photography tour. As a native Washingtonian and one who has been on plenty of Pacific Northwest fieldtrips, I have to say you are all in for an immense treat - full of sights that those from other parts of the country rarely see.

Here are a few photos from the BetterPhoto gallery to give you an idea of the opportunities that are possible-

Mount Rainier, a 14,410 foot dormant volcano.

Rainier at Sunrise © Doug Bascom All rights reserved

A ferry boat ride in Puget Sound possible docking at Bainbridge or Whidbey Island.

Passing Ferries © Paul A. Harrett All rights reserved

Pike Place Market – a colorful market with open stalls full of produce and flowers, flying fish and arts and crafts.

Pike Place Market © Amelia E. Soper All rights reserved

Boats at a Seattle marina.

A Good Morning © Tracy Kraljev All rights reserved

Don't miss this 2 1/2 day, unprecedented BetterPhoto Pre-Summit shoot. There is still time to register! Just think, you'll get to spend a couple of valuable days with two of the nicest and most interesting guys I know, Jim Miotke and Kerry Drager. It'll be loads of fun!

Photo Sort Order - New Features

As some of you know, I am the resident Deluxe Web Site Expert for BetterPhoto. Recently, there has been quite a bit of discussion on the Q&A boards as well as individual emails to me about the new Photo Sort Order feature. I thought I would take this opportunity to explain to everyone this new feature and how it will make your life easier.

First of all, when you upload new photos to your Deluxe Web Site they are now sorted to the end of your image order. This is the default setting. Many people wanted this change so that when they uploaded new images, their current order wasn't constantly being changed. However, should you wish to have your new images sorted to the beginning after each upload, you can choose that option in your Gallery Options link from your admin page. It is the first drop down menu on that page.

Secondly, when you click on your Photo Sort Order link from your admin page you will see several links next to each new image. They are: "up", "down", "top" and "bottom". By clicking on these links, you can quickly and easily resort your photos.

I hope this helps end the confusion out there. We really try to make changes based on what you guys want and our goal is to make things easier for you rather than more complicated. I hope everyone enjoys this new feature, and as always, let me know if you still have questions!

Two Great Tricks - Using Backlighting and Moving In Close to Details

Thanks for your previous responses about the color vs. sepia tone. I agree - the color version is much more "right" feeling and satisfying.

Here are two final images from my bike ride. The first is a fun example of what you can do with backlighting. The general rule is to keep the sun at your back, and this is often a helpful guideline. But facing the sun can produce fun results like this. Just be careful not to look at the sun through your lens.

Too bad the backlit image is banding so much. This image uploading technology must have over JPEGed it. I will upload to my photo gallery at BetterPhoto.com and see if it looks better there.

This second example just shows the value of moving in close and filling the frame with your subject. For this image, I found the side by side difference in texture interesting. The wood and the rusty metal, as well as the graphic elements in the pattern, fascinated me.

Which one of these two images do you like better?

East Meets West; Old Meets New

Mid way along the bike ride I mentioned last time, I came across this railcar. A friend suggested I prop my bike up against it. I love the result:

Which do you like better - the color or the sepia version?