BetterPhotoJim

BetterWorkshops: The Snow Beckons!

Porcupine, Montana © Jim Zuckerman All rights reserved

It's really amazing to think that the passes up in the Sierra, just a couple of hours east of where I live, are already closed thanks to snowfall. We haven't even posted our Halloween photos, heck, some of the trees haven't even changed colors yet here in Northern California, and yet the snow is already beckoning!

Shooting in the snow presents some interesting challenges, but some great rewards. My husband and I were lucky enough to visit Yosemite valley on the day after Christmas a few years ago – nearly deserted thanks to a pretty heavy snowfall the day before. We and our sturdy Honda Civic braved the ice and snow to get there, and the results were amazing – in fact, some of my favorite pictures he's ever taken were shot that day.

Red Fox, Montana © Jim Zuckerman All rights reserved

We'd like to make it even easier for you to get fantastic winter shots. We've partnered with the Triple D Ranch just outside Kalispell, Montana to bring you the new BetterWorkshops. These online/offline workshops combine the online instruction and feedback you've come to expect from BetterPhoto™, with the personalized input and striking locations of an in-person workshop. We're kicking things off in early January with a great workshop hosted by Jim Zuckerman, where you'll have the chance to photograph some amazing wildlife – including mountain lions, bears, wolves, and Siberian tigers. Plus, you'll have the opportunity to photograph ranchers and their horses for some great dramatic shots.

The first workshop will begin on January 25, 2006 – but we'll have 12 workshops throughout the year, including visits to Ireland and Yosemite. Your workshop leaders are experienced photographers and BetterPhoto instructors: Jim Zuckerman, Peter Burian, Jim Miotke, Vik Orenstein, and Charlie Borland.

The snow is beckoning – join us!

Raw vs JPEG

It's very popular at this time for professional photographers to advise everyone to shoot in Camera Raw. And I can see why... I shoot in Raw and love it. However, I do feel like Raw is not for everyone, or at least it is not for everyone right at this moment. So I don't like it when I hear people advising others that they "should" shoot in Raw, without explaining what Raw can do for you, and considering when it might be simply too much.

That's why, in my digital photography course, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of shooting in Raw, and I let each student make their own decision about whether or not Raw is right for them at this time.

If your goal is to creatively control the quality of your photos, and learn how to control every aspect of your photo, you might want to consider Raw. The question is really "What's your comfort level with Raw and reworking images?" If you feel like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements makes it easy for you to open a Raw file, I would say "go for Raw", because it sounds like you find Raw intuitive and easy to use. It's only when you don't find Raw intuitive that I recommend letting the camera make all the processing choices at the time of shooting.

Having said all this, it is perfectly okay to shoot in JPEG, if that is what is required to keep you shooting. I would much rather have you work in JPEG than not take any pictures because the Raw conversion process stops you in your tracks. Interpreting Raw files is an art, and it takes a lot of time, so leaving that challenge for later is a perfectly acceptable choice to make.

To Enhance An Image in Photoshop or Not to Enhance

A student in my online class asked an interesting question about correcting/enhancing an image in Photoshop, as you convert the Raw file. They were wondering if this kind of editing was "cheating"...

You certainly don't have to feel like you're doing something wrong when you simply try to make an image look it's best. We have been wrongly trained to think that way - to think that editing to enhance an image in Photoshop is unethical. However, this is because we've relied on lab technicians in photo labs to do our printing for the last 20 or 30 years. The truth is that lab technicians or machines are just doing the interpretive work for us. So why not do this interpretative work ourselves?

An image is rarely "done" at the time of shooting. Ansel Adams likened the moment of exposure to writing a musical composition (writing the score of a symphony, for example). He likened developing and printing each image to the musical performance. Whether you "develop" an image in a darkroom or in a digital darkroom, it is really the most truthful path to do this interpretative work yourself, instead of relying too much on others or automation. Some automation is good - I love autofocus and semi-automatic exposure modes. It's best, however, if you're the one making the final decisions about the exposure, color, sharpness, and composition of your final photographic results.

In my opinion, the only time it is cheating is when you combine pictures, adding elements or otherwise drastically changing an image, without disclosing that you've Photoshopped the image to your audience.

In reality, though, almost every image needs to be slightly tweaked in the "developing and printing" process (AKA Photoshop).

I highly recommend to everyone that you learn Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, or a similar program so you can make your own final decisions about how each image should look. Or, if you just don't have the time right now... that's okay, just find a person that works at a digital photo lab who really knows Photoshop and is willing to work closely with you when it comes to enhancing and printing your images.

Listen to Radio Online! The BetterPhoto Show Podcast Explained

You might have heard us talking about the BetterPhoto™ Show podcast in recent weeks. But I'm guessing some of you are saying, "The BetterPhoto Show WHAT?". So today, I'd like to give you a quick rundown of what a podcast is, how you can access it, and why you'd want to.

iTunes Music Store

The word "podcast" derives from the combination of "iPod" and "broadcast", but it really means any audio broadcast, recorded and available for listening online or downloaded to your computer or
portable mp3 player (such as an iPod). There are literally thousands of different podcasts you can receive by subscription (for free) through services like the iTunes Music Store: samples of the latest and greatest music; highlights from the day's NPR coverage; information on the movie Serenity; or the latest in tech news.

Since our goal here at BetterPhoto is to educate people about photography, but in a fun and approachable way, Jim thought – what better addition to our site than a podcast? Each week, Jim posts a gallery of photos and records the podcast, telling a story about each photo and how it was made, and illustrating a different photographic technique. It's a great way to get a quick technique tutorial, on your schedule – and you get to hear the ideas and stories behind the photos, in Jim's own words (and voice!). In the upcoming weeks, he'll be adding discussions with some of our BetterPhoto instructors – so you'll get to hear their stories, and get to put a voice with a name.

iTunes Podcast Selection

So, how do you access these podcasts? It's really easy. The first option is to go to www.betterphoto.com/podcasts.asp each week and download the .mp3 file and listen to it through your favorite audio program (WinAmp, Windows Media, Quicktime, iTunes Jukebox). It's like listening to radio online!

The other option is to sign up for the podcast via the iTunes Music Store (search for "Jim's Journal" or "BetterPhoto"). This way, when a new show is posted, it will automatically be downloaded to your iTunes Jukebox. From there, you can either listen on your computer, or download to your iPod. Of course, you'll want to visit www.betterphoto.com/podcasts.asp while you're listening to she the gallery of photos Jim's analyzing.

It's an exciting new offering for us, and we hope you find it fun, educational, and inspiring! Please let us know what you think!

Photographing Scary Halloween Costumes

Witch Chasing Girl © Bryan F.  Peterson All rights reserved

Bryan Peterson’s great photo found in our BetterPhoto™ gallery reminds me of a boo boo that I once made when I was teaching preschool. A friend had given me a very scary Halloween costume which looked not unlike the witch pictured above. When I tried it on, I looked completely different and felt different. I sort of enjoyed the fact that my own children seemed to treat me with caution. However, my good sense temporarily malfunctioned and I decided to wear the costume to the preschool the next day. Before 5 minutes were up, the witch hat and mask were off in order to quiet the terribly frightened children who were frantically looking around for their teacher to save them. Whoops!

If you are thinking of taking some photos this Halloween, perhaps of the jack-o-lantern sitting on your front porch or of the children in their adorable Harry Potter or Cinderella costumes, or even a scary Darth Vadar costume, take a look at the new article by Kerry Drager, Faces to Put on Pumpkins or this article on Fun Children Photographs by Vik Orenstein.

Have a Happy Halloween!

BetterPhoto's Deluxe Web Sites: The Two Most Popular Questions Answered

The two most popular questions asked by our Deluxe Web Site owners are, "Why can't I see the images I just uploaded in my galleries?" and "Am I able to transfer all of my images from my BetterPhoto Gallery to my new Deluxe Web Site?" I will answer these questions below in an attempt to demystify the Deluxe Web Site process.

To the first question, getting your images to display on your Deluxe Web Site is a two step process. First you upload them and then, from your Deluxe Web Site Admin Center, you indicate which ones you would like to display. Click on the "Select and Categorize Photos" link in your Admin Center, then use the pull-down category menu next to the photos you've uploaded to indicate which image you would like to display and to which category you would like that particular image assigned. Your photo will only appear on your web site once you have categorized it.

This gives you additional flexibility with the look of your site at any given time. For example, you can easily change the displayed images from time to time to keep the site looking new and fresh.

Now to the second question: because our Deluxe Web Site design uses new borders on your images that are added at the time of upload, photos previously uploaded to BetterPhoto are not accessible to your new site. However, once you own a Deluxe Site, photos that are uploaded anywhere on BetterPhoto (i.e., Our Photo Contest, Galleries, Photography Courses, etc.) will be available for use on your Deluxe Site.

Of course, soon we will be unveiling new, exciting Deluxe Web Site designs and borders will no longer be an issue. This will make it possible for you to transfer your images from your existing gallery to your new Deluxe Web Site. Keep an eye out for our new designs coming this fall!!

Reminder: SF Bay Area Lectures/Booksignings

Hi everyone - just a reminder that Jim will be in the SF Bay Area next week giving an exciting talk on digital photography called "Top Tips Digital Picture Taking: Storytelling With Your Digital Photography"! He'll also be signing copies of his latest book, The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography.

Jim will be giving practical, easy-to-follow advice on improving technique and making the most of your digital camera at four different locations in the Bay Area:

Sunday, October 23
2 p.m.
Pleasanton Library (sponsored by Towne Center Books)

Monday, October 24
6 p.m.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, San Jose (room 125)

Tuesday, October 25
7 p.m.
Barnes & Noble - The Pruneyard, Campbell

Wednesday, October 26
6:30 p.m.
Dr. Roberto Cruz Alum Rock Branch Library, San Jose

Hope to see all of our SF Bay Area BP members there!

Holidays Made Easy: The Digital Camera Calculator

Colors of Fall © Anupam Pal All rights reserved

With the advent of autumn, we see lots of great pictures of fall color, lovely scenics, and of course, cute Halloween shots in the galleries here at BetterPhoto™. It's great to know what kind of camera these folks are using to get these wonderful photos. But with such a huge array of different cameras to choose from, how the heck am I supposed to choose the right camera for myself – and my holiday gifts?

Luckily, we've got the awesome Digital Camera Calculators. There are two options to choose from – a visual calculator that helps me choose visually the types of shots I want to take, the size of camera I want to own, the size of camera bag I want to lug around, and the ease of use I want. The text-based calculator asks a series of 10 questions, including how I'd describe myself (or the person I'm getting the camera for) as a photographer, auto vs. manual, simplicity vs. control, and features I know I'd want.

Now, I just need to figure out how much I want to spend on more camera gear for me and my husband this holiday! ;-)

Vermont Fall Foliage

I can only dream of Vermont fall foliage this year but there was a time where every year I could make a special trip with my friends from Boston up to Vermont, or maybe the White Mountains in New Hampshire, to view the most spectacular array of autumn colors known to man. I honestly don’t think that’s an overstatement. The vibrant reds, golds and, my favorite, an unbelievably, soft peachy color are always breathtaking. In searching the galleries at BetterPhoto™ for just the right picture, I found one taken in the Green Mountains. Isn’t it just gorgeous?

Green Mountain Park, Vermont ©  Joe C.  Baran All rights reserved

Autumn for me is a harbinger of the coming holiday season when one begins to think about the lovely important things that warm our hearts in November and December - moments that we cherish. Soon we will have an opportunity to choose special gifts for family and friends. And what better place to shop than at BetterPhoto.com. Wouldn't someone you know enjoy taking an online photograph class, or maybe the chance to display his or her photos in a premium gallery or deluxe website, or maybe a good book on taking better photos would be just the right thing. There are actually many possiblities.

Have a lovely fall weekend... enjoy the colors, kick some leaves.

Autumn's bounty at BetterPhoto!

Season of Falling Leaves © Paul A.  Harrett All rights reserved

Autumn is a time for fall colors, for harvest festivals and pumpkin patches, cooler days and the earth's bounty. At BetterPhoto™ we're celebrating the bounty with some of our own – some really awesome new offerings! We've got tons of great short courses for both October and November, and we've added a course by Kathy Woodford on Digital Wedding Album Design (not too late to sign up!). Jim has started a weekly podcast, The BetterPhoto Show, on different photography topics, which we hope to add to iTunes very soon so you can download it straight to your iPod. And Jim is going to be doing a series of talks and book signings on the West Coast in late October through to December. It's an exciting time here!

Another exciting thing I wanted to bring to your attention is our Digital Camera Calculators. These are great tools we've had for a few months, but this is a perfect time to rediscover them. As we get closer to the holidays (I know, I can't believe it either), these calculators are a great way for you to choose the right digital camera – as a gift for your family, or for yourself! ;-)