No CS7 - Adobe Introduces CC
Adobe expects all their customers to switch to the subscription based service and will allow everybody who currently owns a license to CS3 and up to subscribe to Creative Cloud for $29.95 per month for limited time. It will also offer similar price reductions to users who just bought stand-alone products like Photoshop.CS6 is the last version of the Creative Suite applications that will be available as perpetual stand alone licenses. For nay of the new features and enhancements you must subscribe to suites or individual products in Creative Cloud. The suite is priced at $49.99 and individual products at $19.99 monthly.Click here to see the new features is Photoshop CC.Not sure if this is a good move on Adobe's part but we will have to wait and see if their plans succeed.
Smoky Mountains - Seeing the Light, Literally
I had taken a few participants from my workshop to the Primitive Baptist Church off the Cades Cove loop road. We photographed the interior and exterior, great shots looking out at the dogwood blossoms through the church windows. All in all the morning was great. The light was getting harsh and the scenes contrasty so we decided to head back. As i was leaving the church I noticed a streak of sunshine coming through between the main door and its frame. The streak was hitting the floor and the back of the second last bench at the junction of the bench and the wall. It looked like someone had lit a lamp in the perfect spot. The angles, the light and the triangulation of lines augmented with the tones of old wood had to be captured. As this is but a fleeting moment, I was so lucky to be there.Click on the image for a larger view. Your thoughts and comments would be appreciated.
Smoky Mountains - 2
On the last day, the fog was awesome so I captured a panorama - 10 images. Combined and cropped the image is 14430 pixels. Please click on the image for a better look. 
The lush greenery in the Smoky Mountains is glorious.
Canon EOS 5D Mk III Firmware Update
Canon has released the EOS 5D Mark III firmware update. This update adds two highly useful features: a clean HDMI output option and cross-type AF at f/8.Click here for the download.
Smoky Mountain - Wild Flowers and Landscape Workshop
7 Days in the Smoky Mountains and Cades Cove - pure thrill. The incredible light, superb lush green of fresh spring leaves, beautiful wild flowers and dogwood trees that were exceptional. Rivers and streams flowing pristine water, moss covered rocks and the occasional mist made for some great photography. The participants were fantastic and we all had a lot of fun. Yes, days were long 4:30 AM wake-up and late evening bedtimes were worth it - every bit of it.Here are a few comments (Audio) from some of the wonderful participants. Click on the links to listen:ArmandLoisNanMany images were captured - this is one of my favorites. Captured on the last day - Sparks Lane - all to ourselves and just two other photographers. Most photographers are under the impression that Cades Cove is closed on Friday - not true, not in the spring.
This image is from the night before.
Wacom Cintiq 13HD
Hunts Photo now has the Wacom Cintiq 13HD interactive pen display in stock. Use the link from this page to order yours and get free shipping.http://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com/detail_page.cfm?ProductID=DTK1300&mfg=Wacom&show=yes
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Beta
Adobe has just released the Beta version of Lightroom 5.Click here for the download site.I will be posting mew feature reviews soon.
Canon EOS 6D Firmware Update
Canon has updated the firmware for the EOS 6D DSLR. The latest version is 1.1.3 fixes date and time related issues. The updated firmware is available for download from the Canon website.Click here for the download site
The Genie Motion Control Device
Syrp, a New Zealand company, was very kind and shipped me one of their motion control devices, that I am featuring in my upcoming book. The time-lapse sequence above, was captured using the Genie in Time-Lapse mode with the Clouds preset modified for my way of capturing.I love the simplicity of this unit. It is easy and a charm to use.I also did a review of the Genie that you can read - click on this link GENIE Review.Please contact me if you need more information or would like to get your and on one.
The Impressive Feisol Carbon Fibre Ball-Head
I had done a review of the Feisol Carbon Fiber Tripod and the The FEISOL CB-50DC Carbon fiber Ball-Head a while back Click here for the review. This lightweight ball-head continues to impress me. It is a light yet very well constructed Arca Swiss compatible ball head designed for general purpose use.
My unit is now mounted on my Dynamic Precession cart atop the 6 foot rail and performs really well. As most of these rails are belt and stepper motor driven it is best to keep the overall weight as low as possible. Here is where this head is perfect.
The carbon fibre construction is impressive. The locking mechanism is based on dual calipers. One dual caliper is used to lock the ball while the other is used to lock the base plate. Each caliper is operated by a rotating knob. A third flatter knob is used to maintain tension on the ball preventing any accidental flopping of mounted equipment.Hunts Photo is conducting a one week "shiv verma | photography" special for all Feisol Products. Discounts and free shipping are available through April 14, 2013.
Adobe releases Lightroom 4.4 and Adobe Camera RAW and DNG Converter 7.4
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The Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 4.4 update includes a number of significant enhancements and bug fixes. Support for a number of new cameras and new lens profiles.You can download the update by clicking hereAdobe Camera RAW and DNG 7.4 are available via the standard update procedure in Photoshop CS6 .
Nikon - firmware updates
Nikon has has released a number of firmware updates for their DSLRs. The D600 and D800, D4, D3, D3s, D3x, D7000 and D3200 are all upgradable. In addition to support for the 800mm lens the D600 and 800 cameras will realize improvements in continuous autofocus and tracking. The D600 will now be able to provide 100% video scene coverage via HDMI output.All firmware updates are available for download from http://http://support.nikonusa.com
Wacom's new Cintiq 13HD
This is such great news. Wacom has had the most awesome pen displays and now a 13 inch model. What can be better for flexibility. Work with it on your lap or desktop.It has many of the features of it big brothers the 22D and 24HD like customizable ExpressKeys, the Rocker Ring, and the Home Button for easy shortcut access.The screen is a high res 1920 x 1080 LED display with nearly a 180° (178 to be picky) viewing angle and renders 16.7 million colors.The stand can be detached and adjustable to three different working angles or use it flat on your lap or desktop.It comes with a new Pro Pen in a care with 9 nibs. It has 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt recognition.Slated for availability in April at $999Click here for more info.
While waiting for the Aurora
Saturday March 16, 2013 - Predictions for a great Aurora Borealis were excellent. The solar activity promised the Aurora to display all the way South in Massachusetts. Being a big fans of this phenomenon my wife and I made reservations at an inn in Caribou, Maine. 7 1/2 hours later we were scouting out for good locations. The skies were clear as can be and the excitement escalating. We had dinner and drove out to the planned location. To cut a long story short, 14 degree temperatures were not going to stop us from photographing the Aurora. 5 hours later it is 3:00 and there is no sign of the event. We packed up and went back to the hotel. BIG MISTAKE - 4:30 the lights turned on and by 5:00 AM some of the most spectacular images were being captured but the lucky photographers while we slept soundly.While waiting I decided to take some short time lapses. Did one with the camera pointed at Polaris. This was a short 20 minute capture resulting in few seconds of video. The individual images were then stacked to create a star-trail.Here is the video:stars1The stack looks great - the glow in the lower half is light pollution from some homes and towers in the distance. Click on the image for a larger view.
thinkTank Photo Products
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If you like street photography the Urban Disguise is for you.
My favorite sling straps for my cameras.
If you never tried a sliding sling strap, you are in for a wonderful experience. We are all familiar with sling straps on camera bags and some back packs. Sling straps are worn diagonally across your body to move the weight of your gear from your neck to your shoulder – resulting in a significant improvement in comfort. 
Sliding Sling Straps differ from sling straps in one important feature. Sliding sling straps have a fitting that slides along the strap. The fitting in turn connects to your camera. That means that the camera, which is attached to the fitting, can be brought up smoothly to your eye without pulling your clothing – the strap, which is a loop, does not need to move!Sliding slings trace back to 1885 where the slider was connected to a rifle http://www.rollanet.org/~stacyw/us_1885_carbine_sling.htm. The first commercial application that I found for cameras dates back to 2004. The product (still available), called simply “The Strap” is sold by a company called Leicagoodies, http://www.leicagoodies.com/strap.html. This sliding sling uses a detachable connector attached to a split ring which slides along 1” wide loop strap.There have been many embodiments of the sliding sling strap for cameras since 2004. The most popular are the Black Rapid straps and the California Sun Bounce Straps. Many smaller companies also produced sling straps. In 2007, Black Rapid applied for a patent on the sling strap. The patent was granted in November 2011. Black Rapid immediately moved to eliminate competitive products that used the sling concept for cameras. A letter notifying infringement of a patent and threatening legal action was sent from the president of Black Rapid to the manufactures of sliding sling straps and to camera dealers who sold competitive product. One manufacturer immediately stopped production of their strap; others modified their design to avoid an expensive patent infringement law suit.A relative newcomer, BosStrap, dropped the original design and took a different approach and completely different strap. Introduced in June 2012, the BosStrap Generation 3 Sliding Sling Strap is truly “unlike anything else” as BosStrap claims. I recently had an opportunity to try them and used two of them on my two 7D and 5D MkIII bodies while doing my workshops in Iceland.This product really is different from others. Careful engineering resulted in an elegant, functional design. To begin with, BosStrap uses a unique, double lock, patent pending attachment to the camera. This USA made product is different from other sling straps in that it attaches to the left strap lug on the camera, not to the tripod socket as virtually all other sling straps do. When hanging from the left strap lug, the camera rests in a much more natural way with the lens directed downward and backward allowing your camera nestle against you with your hip between the front of the pentaprism and the top of the lens. Hanging in this position tends to stabilize the camera when walking, yet keeps the camera grip at your hand for instant access.When you want to move to a tripod, you simply release the Generation 3 Tail strap from the slider. You do not need to unscrew anything from the camera, and you can continue to wear the light-weight sling strap without the camera.BosStrap has completely freed the camera’s tripod threaded socket from a strap connector. Your tripod mounting plate never needs to be removed from your camera. BosStrap claims that Nikon and Canon do not recommend carrying the inverted weight of the camera and lens by the tripod socket because of the possibility of internal seals being stressed in a way they were not designed for. There is also concern about the ability of the tripod socket to carry the inverted weight.You won’t find a shoulder pad on a BosStrap. I was skeptical about this lack of cushioning at first, but after trying it with my Canon bodies, I was convinced that the 1-1/2” wide strap really offers the same comfort that a bulky pad would provide. BosStrap works with an L-bracket too.I like to do street photography and have the need for a lot of flexibility and be inconspicuous. With a BosStrap, I can conceal my camera under my open jacket and not have a large lump from a shoulder pad showing. My camera is partially concealed under my jacket until needed - very unobtrusive and it is an excellent theft deterrent. An added benefit is that the strap can be wrapped around the lens when putting your camera back in the bag.A BosStrap is simply an efficiently engineered product that does precisely what it is supposed to do – provide very quick accessibility and support your camera in a comfortable, safe manner. Most important they are very reasonably priced. You can get them directly from Boss Strap, LLC or one of the many stores they have listed on their site.You can a;sp order them from Hunts Photo Video at http://www.huntsphotoandvideo.com
Time-lapse Photography Workshops - Details available
Join me for a one day educational and hands-‐on Time-Lapse Photography Workshop.A time-lapse video essentially compresses time into a smaller space, creating some exceptional and evocative results.In theory, time-lapse videos are easy to create – after all you simply take a few hundred photos, one after another, line them up in a video application and you are done. Not true, if you want to create a stunning, seamless, flicker free time-lapse video. There is a lot more involved than setting up a camera and capturing the sequence.With digital cameras we have infinite possibilities to capture time-lapse sequences and create exceptional video woth even the simplest digital point and shoots to DSLR’s. This intensive 1-day workshop provides the knowledge necessary to create advanced time-lapse videosfrom capture to the use of a well structured post-process workflow.We will split our time between shooting sequences and working through the post-process workflow. This includes importing images to exporting videos using applications like Lightroom, LRTImelapse, Quicktime Pro, Adobe Premiere Elements.We start the workshop with a formal presentation looking at the many uses of time-lapse imagery.Like in most of my workshops I will show you that you do not need to spend thousands to achieve awesome results.We will cover the following topics in detail:
- Equipment overview
- Camera settings
- Intervalometer settings
- Settings based on the speed of activity
- Hyperlapse will be discussed briefly
We will record two sequences and return to the classroom and use Adobe Lightroom to import, adjust, and export our first sequence. Next, we bring everything into QuickTime Pro to assemble the initial movie and move it to iMovie to add titles and other effects. Optionally we will use Premiere Elelments for MAC and Windows users (this will be based on what participants would prefer.Next we will cover in more specifics
- Day to Night / Night to Day or the “Holy Grail” of time-lapse
- Post Production Workflows (Win & Mac)
- Editing audio
- Final Movie Creation
This workshop is designed for the serious amateurs, hobbyists and emerging pros.Click here for detailsClick here to register
Please disregard my last post about NiK HDR Efex Pro 2
There was an error in the NiK broadcast - NiK HDR Efex Pro was launched last year.BUT you can still use the link to buy or upgrade - this or any other NiK product.
HDR Efex Pro 2 Released
The new HDR Efex Pro 2 introduces a host of new and some much needed features.You can get your copy or upgrade your existing software via this linkHere are some of the new features.New tone-mapping engine – Enjoy improved color rendering, more natural results, and simplified controlsUnified workflow – Users in Photoshop, Lightroom, and Aperture will all have the same experience the same features and functionalityUpdated merging interface – Previews of each exposure and the ability to enable Smart Objects streamline the merging processImproved ghost reduction and alignment – New algorithms and the ability to select a reference image dramatically improve the initial merge resultsChromatic aberration reduction – New controls to reduce unsightly purple & blue fringes where dark tones meet light tonesUpdated tone mapping and enhancement panel – Completely redesigned controls for enhancing images make crafting superior HDR images fast and easyDepth control – Overcomes the flat dull look that so often accompanies HDR imagery
A very pleasant surprise
Last week while doing a one-on-one photo lesson, I hear the UPS driver honk in my driveway. I was not expecting any delivery but went out to see what he was delivering. You have a big package and it's marked fragile so I will bring it in for you, he did.No indication on this big box as to the name of the sender except where it had been packed and shipped from. On opening it I got the biggest surprise. One of my wonderful Iceland Workshop participants had done an oil painting on canvas, had it framed and shipped out to us as a thank you - WOW - I thank you to Barbi.A painting that captures every element and the very essence of our trip. It will bring back memories of the wonderful trip and all the awesome places Iceland offered.I love all my workshop participants we have a good time and learn from each other.This small rendition does this painting very little justice but I had to photograph it and post it on my blog.