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Kids


Kids do the most creative things. My seven year old son asked for the big box my new Epson 9900 printer arrived in. He spent the next half hour quietly working in the gallery. Then he invited my wife to come have her picture made. He’d cut a small flap in one side of the box and put a seat on the inside, got a stack of blank cards, and a box of crayons. Led by the hand, she sat inside. He looked through the flap – and drew her portrait. On the outside of the box he wrote “photo booth”. We just don’t have the heart to take it down. We smile every time we look at it. Want to be more creative? Spend more time with kids. And spend more time being childlike.
Check out my Creativity and Field workshops here.
Check out my Digital Printing workshops here.
Check out the Epson Print Academy here.

Syl Arena – Lessons I Didn't Learn in Photo School


Syl Arena recently wrote a great guest blog entry on Scott Kelby’s PhotoshopInsider.com. The topics list alone is a good touchstone. If you know this stuff, it’s a nice reminder. If you don’t know this stuff, you need to. It’s good food for thought.
1. If you can’t be remarkable, be memorable.
2. You are NOT defined by your photo gear or your computer’s operating system.
3. Powerful photographs touch people at a depth they don’t anticipate.
4. You have to let your images go out into the world without you.
5. Cross-pollinate with photographers and other creatives.
6. Photography slices time. Photography gathers time.
7. Learning to create photographs that “look” like your world should be only a milestone – not the destination.
8. “Coopetition” is a new business model that’s here to stay.
9. Wars have been fought to protect your copyrights.
10. Your photographs have value. Don’t give them away.
11. Your photographs have value. Give them away.
12. Resist the temptation to become a pro photographer.
Read the rest of the post here.
Check out more from Syl at Pixsylated.
And stay tuned for more. Syl actually wrote 48 topics, which he plans to follow up on.

Photograph With Someone Else





Another highlight of my recent South American Cruising Through Life workshop came on the last day. Vincent Versace (his wife Sylvia) and I (and my wife Ardie) spent the weekend in Buenos Aires. Vinnie and I got up early and went to the largest graveyard in the world (resting place of Eva Peron). Vinnie immediately started shooting a detail of a lightpost, ivy, and flowers in dappled light – typical Versace. I never would have selected the shot – typical Caponigro. So I said, “Hey Vinnie! How ’bout we shadow each other for the next hour and shoot each others’ pictures.” We had a great time seeing the same place through entirely different eyes. His tendency was to find the significant detail. My tendency was to get create an establishing shot with significant relationships. We chose different lenses. We moved differently. We moved at different paces. But most importantly, we looked differently. It was really revealing to both of us, about both ourselves and each other and ultimately about photography. We saw through each others’ eyes. Honestly, this is one of the major reasons I got into photography. Two people using the same or similar equipment make such different pictures! How does that happen? Find out! I highly recommend you find a friend to photograph with – and make each others’ pictures. Do it frequently.
Find more creativity tips here.
Find out more about Cruising Through Life here.
Find out more about Vincent Versace here.
Find out more about my upcoming workshops here.
Sign up for Insights for advance notice and discounts on upcoming workshops.

One New Idea Worth More Than A Finished Shot






One of the highlights of my recent South American Cruising Through Life workshop came on the first day as we flew into Santiago, Chile. Light reflected off of mountain lakes in bright rays. I’ve been fascinated by and photographed crepuscular rays descending from the sky for years now, but I’ve never seen rays like this, beaming back up into the heavens. The scene moved too fast and the airplane windows made making finished exposures too challenging. So I quickly sketched the idea. That one sketch, is worth more than a single finished exposure. One good idea can generate an entire series of images.
Find out more about Cruising Through Life here.
Find out more about Vincent Versace here.
Find out more about my Atmospheric FX ebooks here and here.
Find out more about my Atmospheric FX DVD here.
Read what one happy viewer though about my DVD Atmospheric FX here.
Find out more about my upcoming workshops here.
Sign up for Insights for advance notice and discounts on upcoming workshops.

Limits of Photography


During our South American Cruising Through Life workshop we saw some amazing atmospheric effects: a fabulous smoky red moonrise; a moonbow with parahelia (brighter iridescent flares at the sides); and a star so bright and low on the horizon that it cast a long line of reflection in the ocean. These experiences made a lasting impression on me. I’m sure they’ll make appearances in my work. I made exposures, but none of these phenomena could be captured adequately on a moving boat. The situation and the tools at hand didn’t make finished exposures. But I’ll make finished images from the situation, using a combination of digital photography and rendering. I look forward to the day photography is able to capture images like these in these situations directly. I’m sure this won’t stop me from continuing to render images. But it will present me with new opportunities. Until then a little invention is required.
Find out more about Cruising Through Life here.
Find out more about Vincent Versace here.
Find out more about my Atmospheric FX ebooks here and here.
Find out more about my Atmospheric FX DVD here.
Read what one happy viewer though about my DVD Atmospheric FX here.
Find out more about my upcoming workshops here.
Sign up for Insights for advance notice and discounts on upcoming workshops.

Make the Weather


We had great weather on our South American Cruising Through Life workshop. Most of the tourists would agree. On the other hand the photographers might not. Only the first day and a half had much weather – fog. That’s when I got a majority of my keepers. The skies were often clear, offering only an undistinguished background of simple blue. When there were clouds they were undistinguished cumulus humilis, no cumulonimbus, no cirrus, with few sheets of stratus. The sunsets and sunrises were pretty but not distinguished. There wasn’t much wind or swell so the seas were calm. Still, I shot. I got a few quiet keepers. And a lot of raw material for composites, which will ultimately yield more dramatic results. Today, you can make the weather. Understanding the new possibilities of digital rendering opens up many new opportunities for making exposures. Once you’ve been exposed to them you’ll start seeing new possibilities.
Find out more about Cruising Through Life here.
Find out more about Vincent Versace here.
Find out more about my Atmospheric FX ebooks here and here.
Find out more about my Atmospheric FX DVD here.
Read what one happy viewer though about my DVD Atmospheric FX here.
Find out more about my upcoming workshops here.
Sign up for Insights for advance notice and discounts on upcoming workshops.

Adobe Groups

Adobe has entered into the world of online social networking with Adobe Groups.
“Adobe user groups provide a forum of support and technology to business and creative professionals of all levels and professions. Whether you’re a business user, designer, seasoned developer, or just starting out — Adobe user groups strengthen community, increase networking, unveil the latest technology innovations, and reveal the techniques that turn novices into experts, and experts into gurus.
The Adobe groups site provides a place on Adobe.com where community members can create a profile, join Adobe user groups and connect with other members of the Adobe community. The Adobe designer, developer and mobile communities are represented on Adobe groups as are Adobe employees and Adobe product teams. Go to Adobe groups today and start building connections within the Adobe community.”
Adobe Groups makes it easy for you to find, join, participate in user groups – worldwide. Virtually all languages are supported. You can even start your own group! Adobe Groups provides tools to help make user group management easier so you can focus on participating and creating content, not managing it. You’ll find user groups, personal profiles, event calendars, and even job boards. Anybody can join. All you need is an adobe membership idea, which is free and easy to set up.
Learn more in this online video edition of Adobe Edge.
Find our more about Adobe User Groups here.
Find or join a group here.
Are you a member? Comment about your experience here!

Winners Announced – 4th Annual Photoshop User Awards


First and Only Worldwide Competition for Adobe Photoshop Users

TAMPA, Fla.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP) announced the winners of its 4th annual Photoshop® User Awards – the first and only worldwide competition for Adobe® Photoshop® users. Winners were selected from more than 700 entries from 12 countries. Finalists in each of the 11 categories also competed for Best of Show to win an all expense paid, five-day trip for two to Barcelona, Spain.
NAPP president Scott Kelby and Photoshop User magazine art director Felix Nelson chaired the judging panel for this year’s competition.
Winning images can be viewed at www.PhotoshopUserAwards.com/winners.php.
Adobe and Photoshop are registered trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Consider entering your work for 2010!

Photoshop World – Boston


Photoshop World is coming to Boston March 25 – 27.
Find out more here.
Check the website for video coverage of the last Photoshop World.
Download the Photoshop World PDF for a complete run down.
This conference is first rate. Over 40 top notch instructors present non-stop digital seminars for three full days and nights. The staff is super-friendly. There’s a tremendous sense of community everyone attending can participate in.
What they claim is true. “No other conference offers as much training as Photoshop World! Most conferences are just large trade exhibitions with a few panels, forums and classes sprinkled in. Photoshop World is almost the exact opposite. We concentrate on giving you training, training, and more training. Then, we couple that with an impressively sized expo with even MORE training sessions, and throw in a bunch of fun after-hour activities for good measure. There really is nothing quite like it anywhere else!”
I’m scheduled for four events.
Precon – Epson Print Academy – Tuesday March 24 from 1-5 pm.
Panel – The Fine Art of Digital – Thursday, March 26 from 7-9 pm.
Seminar – The Fine Digital Print – Friday March 27 from 11 am -12 pm.
Seminar Drawing With Light – Friday March 27 from 1-2 pm.
NAPP members get special discounts – up to $100 off.
If you’re not a member and you plan on attending become a member.
It’s even better than getting a free membership.
Photoshop World alumni get even steeper discounts – over $100 off.
Kelby Training subscribers get an extra $50 off.
Register early (by February 20, 2009) for Photoshop World and save an extra $100.