Picasa

Alright, so how many of you know about Picasa. Google launched Picasa in the fall of 2005. Picasa is an image editing and cataloging application. The beauty is in it's simplicity and guess what, it's free! Awesome! Who doesn't like free. If you don't want to spend $299 on Adobe Lightroom or break the bank on Photoshop or even drop $89.00 on Paintshop Pro, then this is the software for you.

Picasa easliy sorts your images, allows you to do some basic image editing like cropping, black & white conversion, red eye removal, sharpening, contrast adjustments etc. All for free. You can also burn cd's, create web albums and make slide shows right from Picasa. Please click here for a list of the features. Wow! Sounds like Lightroom. Not quite, Picasa is basic, but for the everday Joe Picasa is all you need. Did I mention it's free. This a fantastic tool. I've been using Picasa since it's inception and I love it. Of course when I shoot weddings I'm using lightroom for my processing but for those everyday shots (family, friends, vacations) Picasa is a great tool. You may want to check it out and in case you don't already know......It's free!


Enjoy your day!

Please don't forgot to visit shuttervisionstudio.com for more information about wedding, architectural, commercial and stock photography.

Nikon System

I hope that you've been reading my Blog lately and have an opportunity to visit my site shuttervisionstudio.com. Often times when I look at photographers portfolios I wonder, "what do they shoot with?" It really is insignificant because it doesn't matter what system you shoot, it's the end result that counts. But I'm always curious what photographers are using and I thought you may be curious too.

I shoot with the Nikon system of dslr's and speedlights. Primarily my D80 body. If you want to check it out click here. It produces fantastic results with super fast autofocus and great handling. It's one of those bodies that just feels perfect in your hands. I would recommend it to anyone. In the future I will do a "what's in my bag" post about the rest of my gear. Stay tuned!

Enjoy your day!

Please don't forgot to visit shuttervisionstudio.com for more information about wedding, architectural, commercial and stock photography.

Flash Memory

Here is a news tidbit from this week. Sandisk has released a new 'Ducati Edition' range of high speed flash memory cards. They say they are inspired by its sponsorship of the Ducati Corse MotoGP team. They will be available in CompactFlash and SDHC formats with capacities of 4 and 8 GB for the CF and 4GB for the SDHC, the new media are Sandisk's fastest yet. They claim to reach speeds of 45 and 20 MB per second respectively.

If you would like more info on these new cards, click here.

The suggested retail prices are $314.99 for the 8GB CompactFlash card and $129.99 for the 4GB SD Plus card. These new cards sound great but I think I'll wait a few months until the prices drop. Flash memory is so cheap these days.

Have a great day!

Please don't forgot to visit shuttervisionstudio.com for more information about wedding, architectural, commercial and stock photography.

Flash Sync Technique

Here is a fun technique to try with your flash. On many cameras, when you turn the flash on it defaults to a max shutter speed of 1/60. A little unkown feature is that you can change this via the shutter sync command. Look it up in your manual for the exact menu location. Try changing the max shutter speed to 1/250 (typical) and then choose a small aperture like f11 or smaller. Now choose a close subject in broad daylight, like a flower, and watch the the background fade to black. Your flash will produce just enough to illuminate the subject leaving the background black.


Pretty cool Huh! Try it out and let me know what you think. Here is one that I shot of a red tulip. I love it!

Enjoy your day!

Please don't forgot to visit shuttervisionstudio.com for more information about wedding, architectural, commercial and stock photography.

Equipment Reviews

For all you gear heads out there, and I admit I am one, where do you go for reviews? I am sure all of you want to be informed consumers. So, when you're planning to upgrade that dslr body or add some fast glass to your collection, where do you turn?

Here are a couple of sites with comprehensive reviews. Please feel free to add your comments with some favorites of your own. For camera bodies dpreview.com is probably the standard with extensive reviews on point and shoots cameras as well as more advanced dslr models. You can read their in depth review on a product with specs, image comparisons, and samples or you can read owners opinions but don't underestimate the value of your local camera shop. Hands on, feel, ergonomics and getting a feel for the menus has many times been make or break for me.

How about Glass? I have found two sites to be helpful in this regard. fredmiranda.com and slrgear.com. Slrgear.com has extensive reviews as well as owner reviews and a nice feature in their reviews is that they often do comparisons to third party lenses (Sigma, Tamron & Tokina). Fredmiranda.com does not do their own reviews but the photographic community there is knowledgeable and provides excellent owner opinions.

Well those are a few of the resources I've used in the past with success. In a future post I will talk more about resource sites and photographic communities.


Enjoy your day!

Please don't forgot to visit shuttervisionstudio.com for more information about wedding, architectural, commercial and stock photography.

Workflow Software

It's a hot topic right now among photographers. How to stream line your workflow and produce a quality product for your clients. To assist, there are a number of software applications out there. All have their pros and cons. Here are few: DXO Optics pro, Bibble, Photoshop Lightroom, Aperture and Capture One.

The big question is, how do I know which is right for me? The answer lies within the question. "for me" or "for you" implies that you need to clearly understand what your needs are. For example if you are a wedding photographer and want to streamline your workflow, create a bullet list of items that you want to provide your clients (digital proofs, slide show, web gallery, prints etc.) and then you can evaluate the software based on these needs. It's as simple as what will get you from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time with the highest quality.

Once you clearly identify your needs then comes the "fun" part and by fun I mean time consuming. You could simply read the specs on each application and the manufacturers descriptions about how miraculous each of their respective applications are. Or you could spend endless time reading reviews and posts of peoples opinions of which are irrelevant because everyone has different needs. That is why it is invaluable to TRY these applications yourself. All of the companies who make these apps offer trial packages. Why not download the free trials and experiment yourself. Then choose whatever software is right for YOU.


Have a great day!

Please don't forgot to visit shuttervisionstudio.com for more information about wedding, architectural, commercial and stock photography.

LuckyOliver

Ok, so here's a little more info about me and a plug. I am image reviewer for LuckyOliver. LuckyOliver is a community of photographers, designers, and artists who buy and sell stock photos. Stock photography (microstock) has exploded in popularity in recent years. It is a medium for professional and amateur photographers to sell their work and it's loads of fun. For a more in depth explanation on how it works click here.

There are some monsters in the industry who shall remain nameless (at least here anyway) and then there is LuckyOliver who is redefining what it means to sell stock imagery and creating an incredible community from which to do so. If photography is a hobby or a profession you have to check out LuckyOliver or LO as we call it. You will love it. Not only can you sell images but through the submission process you will receive valuable fedback that will help you grow as a photographer. This is unique to the world of stock. Personal, not automated, professional reviewers are there to assist you.

What else can I say you must check it out for yourself. Here is the link again.

Have a great day!

Please don't forgot to visit shuttervisionstudio.com for more information about wedding, architectural, commercial and stock photography.

Welcome!

Welcome to the ShutterVision Photography Blog. This blog is about all things photography. Here is the link to my site. ShutterVisionStudio.com. Please visit and let me know what you think.

In the weeks and months to come I will make daily posts related to photography including news, tips, reviews, images and commentary so stay tuned!

I hope you enjoy it!