Discussion

From time to time I'll use this area to discuss items that you might find of interest regarding a wide range of topics concerned with digital photography, landscape photography and nature photography. As an Apple Developer, I'll also describe my application development efforts. I'm currently working on an iPhone application (more on that later).

I hope you'll visit your local bookstore or Amazon and take a look at my new book "iPhoto '09 For Dummies" published by Wiley. Here's a brief description of what you'll find in the book:

* The perfect full-color guide to help Mac users get the most from iPhoto.
* Macs and Mac-related software are hot sellers, and iPhoto is one of the most frequently used programs in the iLife Suite that comes pre-installed on every new Mac.

* This book teaches readers how to import, organize, edit, print, and share their digital photos using iPhoto.
* Shows how to get started with iPhoto and set preferences, import and export images from different sources, organize photos into libraries and albums, crop and rotate images, remove red-eye and correct color and saturation, share photos via e-mail or MobileMe, use images on calendars and greeting cards, and more

*Targets not only new Mac users and previous iPhoto users who want to get up to speed on the new version, but also iPhone users who want to organize their iPhone photos with iPhoto.

Podcast 1 - "Using ALL of the histogram". Listen and watch it from here

Making an image

Buying either an example of landscape photgraphy or a nature photography is a wonderful experience because there is something in that picture that the artist has captured that also captures the buyer.  I have always believed that a photographer should capture scenes that evoke a feeling in him or her.  I want to feel that what I display has a meaning and was worth the effort I put in to save it and share it with you. 

I have a visualization when I snap the shutter and that visualization is what drives me to capture the image.  Our eyes and brains are marvelous devices and far exceed the capabilities of cameras, film or printing paper to reproduce what was seen.  So when someone asks, "Do you change the print?", my answer is I do what is necessary so that what is seen in the digital print is what I saw the day I took the photograph.  What I do not do is add effects that were never there.  Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with that but it's not my style. 

So, if you see an example of my work and are motivated to buy it, it's because you are seeing what I saw that day in the mountains, lakes or rivers of the West and I am pleased to share that with you.

For BetterLight Scanning Back users

I find that when I use the "big camera", ie the Linhof 4x5, there are lots of things for this old brain to consider in getting set up. I decided that one thing I didn't have to do was the math to figure a good first guess at the line time and ISO to use with the BL Scanning Back. So I've written a Widget for my Mac that takes care of that computation for me. I can bring up the Widget quickly, take a spotmeter reading, determine an exposure and put it into the Widget and get an ISO to use. Then I can put the Widget away and get on with the photo.

Below is what the interface looks like and a link to download it for use in OS X. It's very much a work in progress so don't judge it too harshly.

Get the widget here, ready to install