Imaging Software... Our Digital Darkrooms
For those of us who have darkrooms, we know how
much time and work it takes to achieve that perfect
enlarged print. It's very rare that a high quality print
can be created without at least some manipulation of
the image. No, I'm not talking about adding something
to the image that wasn't there to begin with. Call me a
purist, but I don't buy into that concept. If something
wasn't in the picture to begin with it has no right being
artificially added later.
What I'm talking about is a little dodging here and there
to bring out details in the shadows or a little burning
here and there to draw out the details in the highlights,
maybe even some minor color correction to ensure the
finished print matches that of the original scene, or
removing some minor imperfections introduced by the
film itself.
In digital photography, today's imaging software is our
new "digital darkroom." What once was done in total
darkness using enlargers, timers, photographic paper,
chemicals and lots of patience is now done in daylight
using imaging software. The nice thing about digital
images is that they can be saved and reproduced with
repeatable results. Every digital print is as good as the
last one. If you've never worked in a darkroom you
won't appreciate what a huge thing that is!
So, if you're serious about digital photography, you
really owe it to yourself to invest in a digital darkroom.
Incredibly powerful software now sells for under $100.
Compare that to a few thousand dollars for a decent
beginners darkroom and it's a pretty darn good deal!
Visit Sceneramic Photography...
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We hope you'll enjoy the articles. If you know of
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| Springtime: Showers, Sunsets & Sunrises | | |
 Springtime in North America brings us April showers.
These gentle rains unlock the incredibly delicate aromas
of leafing trees and new spring foliage. How can anyone
not like this time of year? Quite often Linda and I will
spend hours out on our deck just taking in the fresh,
clean air and enjoying Mother Nature's beauty. Every
long, deep breathe drawing in a different scent to
appreciate and savor.Spring showers also mean lots of clouds and incredible
sunsets and sunrises. Often, though, we're so taken
back by the majesty of the sight that we forget to
record the event with our cameras. Heck, I'm just as
guilty... and it's my profession (although I did remember
to grab this shot over the Great Salt Lake)! Well, I'm
here to tell you, leave your camera out within easy
reach so you can quickly grab it when the occasion
arises. And make sure the camera always has film
and/or a memory card and a fresh set of batteries in it. See Image Details... | | |
| Digital Black & White Images | | |
 Are you old enough to remember when black and white
photography was all there was? What wonderful
simplicity. No color to rely on, just good composition to
carry off the shot. With the advent of color, black and
white photography has all but slipped into obscurity.
Today there are only a few photographers whose
preferred media is black and white. Why do they prefer
it? Because the lack of color offers purity of form. Try
doing some black and white shots yourself with your
digital camera and see what you're missing.Nearly all of today's digital cameras have black and
white settings and a few other coloration options.
Although you can create black and whites this way, my
recommendation is to shoot your image in color and
later change it to black and white (actually, grayscale)
using imaging software like Adobe Elements or Roxio
PhotoSuite. That way, as long as you save the images
with different filenames, you'll end up with both color
and black and white images in case you later change
your mind and decide you prefer color. See Image Details... | | |
| What's My Favorite 35mm Film? | | |
 I use 35mm film cameras and high-resolution digital
cameras for my photography work. Both have their
strengths and place in my photographer's bag of
tricks. For my 35mm work, people often ask if I prefer
negative or slide film. Well, as a scenery photographer
most of my 35mm work is with slide film. I find it has
superior latitude and tonal range compared to that of
its negative film counterparts and it has much tighter
grain structure so the images are sharper and crisper.My personal favorite film of choice is Fuji Velvia 50
(RVP). I like the saturated colors and it really lends
itself to scenery photography. I use it for about 80% of
my 35mm work. The other 20% of the time I use Fuji
Superia 100 negative film for shooting modeling
portfolios, portraits and other types of people shots.
Superia also gives slightly saturated colors and provides
warmer skin tones to give a very pleasing, natural look. See Image Details... | | |
| Digital Tips: Optical Versus Digital Zoom | | |
 The advent of digital camera technology has brought us
many buzzwords unheard of in the world of 35mm
photography such as pixels, CCD chips, memory cards,
digital zoom, etc.In this article we're going to focus -- if you'll pardon
the photography pun -- on digital zoom. Why? Because
what you don't know about digital zoom could hurt your
images. Read Optical Versus Digital Zoom Article... | | |
| Traveling Tips: Carry-On Luggage | | |
 I don't know how many times Linda and I have waited
in line at the airport ticketing counter in absolute
amazement at how much luggage people take with
them when flying somewhere. I watched one couple
with two trunks, four large suitcases and two bigger
than allowed carry-on's. They must be going
somewhere exotic like an African safari, I thought. I
couldn't believe me ears when the husband said, "I'm
sure glad we're only going to my sisters for a week!"
What on earth did they have in their luggage? Their
king-sized bed?Here we were, on our way to Australia for three weeks
and we only had legal-sized carry-on luggage including
a bag each with our clothes, my camera bag with
photography equipment and a laptop, and Linda's bag
that had personal items we'd need on the plane and on
arrival. And that's it! There are always laundromats,
there are always shops and stores you can buy supplies
from, and you can always ship back stuff that you buy
if it won't fit in the carry-on's. Take it from a couple of
travel pro's; if you can't fit it all into carry-on luggage
you're taking way too much stuff! Visit Sceneramic Photography... | | |
| Thinking About Your Own Web Site? | | |
 Most of the questions I'm asked are about
photography. After all, having been a photographer
since 1978 I've learned a thing or two about the
subject. I've pretty much done it all. And what I've
learned I've tried to share with others, hence the
monthly newsletters and responding to emails asking me
specific photography questions. It surprises me,
however, how often I'm asked not about photography
but about our web site. The question is; "How did you
create the Sceneramic Photography web site and was
it hard?"Well, yes, its been a lot of work. However, if anyone is
considering creating their own business or personal web
site I'd tell them to stop wasting time and just go for it.
While creating Sceneramic Photography, I came across
a series of books and tutorials that I found extremely
helpful. So much so that I created a second web site
called Sell Your Web! to promote the products. So, if
you're interested in building a web site or marketing an
existing site to increase targeted traffic I'd highly
recommend jumping over to Sell Your Web! and taking a
look around. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. If
you have any specific questions I'll be happy to answer
them. Visit Sell Your Web!... | | |
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