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Get Optimum Image Quality – Shoot & Process Raw Files

Download your free copy now!

 

Get the best image quality by optimally exposing and processing Raw files.

 

What In The World Are Raw Files?
Dive in to the strange and wonderful world of Raw files.

Why You Should Shoot Raw
Get highest quality images from your digital camera.

Why You Should Profile Your Camera
Improve the clarity and saturation of the color your digital camera creates.

How To Get More Than The Maximum A Slider Allows
Get 150%,  200%, 500% or more out of sliders.

 

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How To Achieve Optimum Exposure

Download your free copy now!

 

Achieve optimum exposures.

 

Use The Exposure Triangle Creatively | Coming

Setting Your Digital Camera’s File Format

Setting Your Digital Camera’s Color Space 

Using Histograms

Evaluating Histograms 

8 Essentials To Achieve Perfectly Focused Exposures

13 Essential Tips For Low Light & Night Photography

Lens Profiles 

Creating Camera Profiles

Test Camera – Dust | Coming

Test Camera – ISO  | Coming

Test Lens – Sharpest Aperture | Coming 

Get Better Exposures Using Hyper-Focal Distance | Coming

How To Hold Your Camera Steady | Coming

What To Do When You Don’t Have A Tripod | Coming

Shoot In Bursts To Reduce Camera Shake | Coming

Use Camera Motion Creatively | Coming

Crop, Distort Or Retouch ? 

 

Multi-Shot Techniques

 

Multi-Shot – Extending Format – Panorama

Multi-Shot – Extending Depth Of Field – Focus Stacking

Multi-Shot – Extending Resolution – 3 Ways Increase Resolution

Multi-Shot – Extending Bit Depth – 32 Bit Tone Mapping

Multi-Shot – Extending Dynamic Range – HDR

Multi-Shot – Remove Or Multiply Moving Objects

 

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The Best Videos On Creativity

 

This growing collection of videos on creativity includes content from many fields – photographers, writers, musicians, scientists and kids. Use this list to dive into what I think is the most fascinating field. Check back in the future for new additions to this list.

With so many great videos to choose from where do you start?

My top picks are red.

 

J J Abrams – The Mystery Box

Ray Bradbury – Telling The Truth

Julie Burstein – 4 Lessons In Creativity

Tim Brown – Tales Of Creativity And Play

Ben Cameron – The True Power Of The Performing Arts

John Paul Caponigro – You’re More Creative Than You Think

Candy Chang – Before I Die I Want To

John Cleese – On Creativity

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – On Flow

Edward De Bono – 5 Videos On Thinking Creatively

Nancy Duarte – The Common Structure Of The Greatest Communicators

Kirby Ferguson – Embrace The Remix

Neil Gaiman – Finding Your Life In Art

James Geary – Metaphorically Speaking

Elizabeth Gilbert – Nurturing Creativity

Malcolm Gladwell – On Success

Robert Greene – Creative Mastery

Sheena Iyengar – The Art Of Choosing

Steve Jobs – How To Live Before You Die

Stephen Johnson – Where Good Ideas Come From

David Kelley – How To Build Your Creative Confidence

Austin Kleon – Steal Like An Artist

Charles Limb – Your Brain On Improv

Beau Lotto – Science Is For Everyone, Kids Included

Bobby McFerrin – On Improvisation

Kerry Mullis – Celebrating The Experiment

Chris Orwig – Getting Better At Photography Fuels Innovation

Howard Rheingold – On Collaboration

Matt Ridley – When Ideas Have Sex

Sir Ken Robinson – Education Revolution

Andrew Stanton – Clues To A Great Story

Adora Svitak – What Adults Can Learn From Kids

Amy Tan – Where Does Creativity Hide ?

Don Tapscott – Four Principles For The Open World

Julian Treasure – 5 Ways To Listen Better

Benjamin Zander – Music And Passion

 

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Quotes On Creativity

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Your sure to find inspiration in this growing list of Creativity Quotes collections. You’ll find great thoughts from many cultures, eras, and disciplines in these collections. Click on this list of links to explore quotes by topic. Check back in the future for new additions to this list.

Abstraction

Adapting

Art

Artist

Authenticity

Attitude

Awareness

Beauty

Beginning

Calling

Change

Clarity

Color

Commitment

Connected

Context

Craft

Creativity

Curiosity

Dedication

Direction

Discovery

Dreams

Excellence

Experimentation

Exploration

Feeling

Focus

Goals

Gratitude

Habits

Ideas

Imagination

Imperfection

Influence

Innovation

Insight

Inspiration

Invention

Light

Looking

Mastery

Motivation

Opportunity

Optimism/Pessimism

Originality

Passion

Perception

Perspective

Photography

Planning

Play

Purpose

Quality

Questions

Reputation

Risk

Seeing

Service

Simplicity

Story

Style

Success

Sync

Talent

Technique

Travel

Vision

Visualization

 

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Creativity Exercises

 

Looking for new perspectives? Try these practices.

 

22 Ways to Find Inspiration 
How do I find inspiration?

Eyes Wide Shut
Tap into your other senses.

Gesture 
Connect with the implied motion in your images.

Get Physical With Your Subjects
Touch and be touched by your subjects.

Walk With Someone 
Walk and photograph with someone. You’ll both find different ways of seeing the world.

Use Props
Use props to stimulate new image ideas.

 

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Color Theory

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Understanding color theory will help you appreciate and make more effective color choices.

 

Describing Color

 

The Best Books On Color Theory
Deepen your appreciation and understanding of color with these books.

What Is Color Theory ? | Download
Here are the essentials on which you can base your conceptual foundation of color.

All The Words Of The Rainbow
Find the words to describe that color or figure out what that word means.

3 Types of Color

3 Elements of Color

Luminosity – Lightness | Coming

Saturation – Intensity

Hue – Color Temperature

Atmospheric Perspective

Day For Night

Gradation

The Weight Of Color

Transparency & Translucency

Simultaneous Contrast

Proportion | Coming

 

Color Wheels

 

A Brief History Of The Color Wheel

Why Photographers’ And Painters’ Color Wheels Differ

How To Use Color Wheels | Coming

Graphing Color

Color Analysis

 

Going To The Movies

 

What In The World Is Color Grading?

How Classic Movies Use Color To Tell Compelling Stories

10 Best Uses Of Color In Movies

Understanding Wes Anderson’s Unforgettable Color Palettes In 10 Movies

4 Movies That Showcase Zhang Yimou’s Brilliant Use Of One Color Dominance

8 Movies That Use Day For Night Beautifully

How To Decode Color  In Christopher Nolan’s Amazing Movie Inception

7 Movies That Mix Black & White And Color Brilliantly

The 25 Most Beautiful Black-And-White Movies

 

Color Palettes

 

An Artist’s Palette | Download
One of the most distinctive things about an artist’s work is his or her use of color.

One Strategy For Creating Many Successful Color Palettes
Most successful palettes do this one thing.

How To Find The Infinite Color Possibilities One Image Contains
The possibilities seem limitless. Explore your options before you commit to a solution.

Why B&W And Color Don’t Mix
They’re two different realities; unless you use them as a code for that, present them separately.

B&W Palettes | Download
Here are a few examples of black and white palettes drawn from the history of photographic practice.

B&W Expanding The Definition | Download
What is a black and white image?

Palette – Light | Coming

Palette – Medium | Coming

Palette – Dark | Coming

Palette – Low Contrast | Coming

Palette – High Contrast | Coming

Palette – Spotlit | Coming

Palette – Ideal | Coming

Palette – Ambient | Coming

Palette – Synthetic | Coming

Palette – Super Saturated | Coming

Palette – Pastel | Coming

Palette – Semi-Neutral | Coming

Palette – Neutral | Coming

Palette – Monochromatic | Coming

The Colors Of The Seasons | Coming

The Colors Of A Place | Coming

Day For Night

 

Ways To Improve Your Color Perception

 

Check For Color Blindness

Take The X-Rite ColorIQ Challenge

Play The Game – I Love Hue


Exercise – Memory
| Coming

Exercise – After Image | Coming

Exercise – Transparency | Coming

Exercise – Intervals | Coming

Exercise – Simultaneous Contrast 3=4  | Coming

Exercise – Simultaneous Contrast 4=2 | Coming

Exercise – Optically Neutral  | Coming

Exercise – Analysis  | Coming

 

 

 

The Art Of Visual Storytelling

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To find your voice tell your story.

 

Plan Your Story

 

Every Picture Tells A Story
There are countless kinds of stories to tell and ways to tell them.

Make Plans    Free to Members
Increase your productivity and fulfillment by making a plan.

Define a Project    Free to Members
Focus your creative efforts and create an action list to achieve your goals.

Developing Personal Projects
Defining a project is one of the single best ways to develop your body of work.

Keep Your Current Projects Visible
What kinds of visual reminders would be helpful to you?

Perform An Annual Creative Review
At the beginning of every year I review the accomplishments of the past year.

The Benefits Of Performing An Annual Image Review
You’ll learn a great deal about your vision when you perform an annual image review.

The Benefits Of Selecting Your Top Images
Find your current best works and compare them to your past.

7 Benefits Of Returning To Locations
With so many wonderful places, why return to the same location more than once?

 

Discover & Develop Your Story

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Identify the superstars in your work.
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10 Benefits Of Building Bodies of Work
Add depth to your images and find more uses for them.
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Images That Sizzle & Fizzle Versus Sleepers & Keepers
While some images have an immediate impact, others have staying power.
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Outliers – What They Are And How To Make Them Fit
They’re the images that don’t fit neatly into a body of work.
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Finding Your Best Work  Free to Members
Find your best work efficiently.
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A Dominant Impression    Free to Members
How to find the “Dominant Impression” in your work.
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A Train of Thought    Free to Members
Look for the ways you approach making photographs and think visually.
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Structure Your Story

 

3 Great Books On Photographic Contact Sheets

Develop your thoughts faster and more clearly with collections.
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Create a guiding structure to help focus and strengthen your work.
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Use Storyboards To Improve Your Lightroom Collections | Coming
Create sequences to find what’s missing and new opportunities.
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Create sequences to find what’s missing and new opportunities.
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How you present your images can be as important as which ones you select.
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6 Tools You Can Use To Improve Continuity Between Still Images
How you present your images can be as important as which ones you select.

6 Image Cuts To Avoid At All Costs | Coming
… unless you want to focus on them.
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Transitions | Coming Soon
How you get there is just as important as where you arrive.
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Expand Your Story

 

How To Strike Up A Lively Conversation With Your Images
Not sure where to go or what to do? Ask your images!

Association
Discover and develop underlying qualities and themes.

Metaphor
Work on more than one level simultaneously.

Equivalence
Create greater resonance with viewers.

Variation    Free to Members
Find many ideas or turn one idea into many variations.

Combination    Free to Members
Create synergy between existing elements in your images.

Reversal
Use reversal to open new doors in your creative process.

Break The Rules
Unlock new creative possibilities.

 

Find Your Next Story

 

Your Next Story  | Coming

 

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How To Use Words Improve Your Creativity

 

Use Your Words

 

Watch Your Process 
It’ll change your life.

Take Notes 
See, remember, and produce more.

Talk With Yourself 
Don’t worry, it’s not crazy. We all do it.

Listen To Yourself 
The words you use reveal a lot.

Turn Your Inner Critic Into An Ally 
Your inner critic can be a terrible adversary or a powerful ally.

Coach Yourself
Energize yourself. Affirm your abilities. Set tangible goals.

Avoid Should
Instead, ask, “What happens when I?”

How To Strike Up A Lively Conversation With Your Images
Find out what more your images can tell you.

 

Discover & Develop Your Story

 

Every Picture Tells A Story Free to Members
Every picture tells a story.

Discover Subjects With Nouns 
Make a list to identify more subjects and more about your potential subjects.

Discover Actions With Verbs
Make a list to find out more about what’s going on around you.

Discover Qualities With Adverbs And Adjectives
Make a list to find how you really feel about your subjects and put that into your images.

Seeing With New Eyes
Ask these questions to uncover new perspectives and ideas.

Strike Up A Lively Conversation With Your Images With These Questions | Coming
Find out more about your images and your reactions to them. Talk with them.

Guiding Questions | Coming
Generate ideas and guide your work with these essential questions.

Ask 100 Questions | Coming
This exercise is sure to stretch you, reveal personal perspectives, and generate new ideas.

Free Associate To Find Feelings, Thoughts, Memories, Connections
Identify the things happening outside you and take time to explore what’s going on inside.

Association
Learn how to deepen your relationships with your work.

Content, Form, Feeling
What kind of story are you telling?

Metaphor
Use metaphor to guide you deeper into a subject.

 

Clarify Your Vision & Style

 

The Differences Between Vision & Style 
Vision is what you have to say; style is how you say it.

What’s Your Vision ? | Coming

What’s Your Style ? Free To Members
Identify the basic visual elements in your work.

What’s Your Subject? | Coming

What’s Your Theme ? | Coming

Motivation – Dig Deep – Ask Why Five Times | Coming

Make Plans  Free to Members
Increase your productivity and fulfillment by making a plan.

Define a Project  Free to Members
Focus your creative efforts and create an action list to achieve your goals.

Developing Personal Projects 
Defining a project is one of the single best ways to develop your body of work.

Clarify Your Mission, Goals, Projects, Actions

Make Your Bucket List 

 

Tell It Your Way

 

The Way You Tell Your Story Is Part Of Your Style | Coming

3 Ways To Tell A Story More Creatively – It, I, You
Tell the story of your subject. Actually, tell three stories.

Most Stories Have A Beginning, Middle & End | Coming

Explore Different Story Structures | Coming

The Hero’s Journey | Coming

7 Essential Plots | Coming

 

Share Your Story

 

Why Sharing Your Story Is Important | Coming

How To Ask For Useful Feedback

How To Title Your Images

How I Title My Images 

Artist’s Statements  Free to Members

Tell Us About It In One Sentence, One Phrase, One Word | Coming

Loglines – Identify The Function Of Individual Images In Sequences| Coming

Core Stories  | Coming

Elevator Pitches  | Coming

Bylines, Bios, & CVs  | Coming

 

 

Play With Words

 

Breaking the Rules

Creative Fear List 

If You Were A …  | Coming

It’s Kind Of A Cross Between …  | Coming

What If … | Coming

Write A Story In One Sentence | Coming

Write A Three Line Poem | Coming

Magnetic Poetry | Coming

 

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Creative Mindfulness

 

You can be as creative with your mindfulness practice as you are with your art. They support each other.

 

7 Great Great Resources For Developing Your Creative Mindfulness Practice
The plans you make are there to further your progress.

What Is Meditation
How do I find inspiration?

Meditation Can Be / Doesn’t Have To Be A Religious Experience
Meditation isn’t a religious practice.

All Religions Practice Forms Of Meditation
Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all practice forms of meditation.

Benefits of Meditating
You will create many benefits for yourself by meditating.

The Physical Benefits of Meditating
There are many clinically proven physical benefits of practicing meditation.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Body Through Meditation
For much of our daily lives we are unconscius of our bodies.

How Many Thoughts A Day Do You Think?
On average, we each think 60,000 thoughts a day.

How Long Should I Meditate?
The question will serve you much better if you consider it over time.

How To Find Time For Meditation?
You can find time for meditation without changing your schedule.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Environment Through Meditation? 
Spend some time becoming more aware of the miracles that surround you.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Mind Through Meditation.
Consciousness is one of the great riddles of the universe for which there are few answers.

Increase Your Awareness Of Your Emotions Through Meditation.
For most of us, when it comes to emotions, our thinking is often unclear.

 

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Read More

Maine Destinations To Photograph

Cover_MaineDestinations.jpg

 

Get this ebook free.

 

From the solitary summit of Katahdin, to the deeps of more than 22,000 lakes and ponds, to the 3,500 miles of tidal coastline, the wild beauty of Maine is irresistibly beautiful. Inland you’ll find sweeping mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, and farms. Along the rocky coast, you’ll find countless islands, beaches, lighthouses, and fishing villages.

This ebook collects images of Maine made in the locations that I have returned to photograph most often for more than 25 years.

Each image is accompanied by a short description of the location.

Interactive links access Google Maps and additional resources.

This valuable resource will help you make the most of your explorations of Maine.

22 images

22 pages

 

Find my Maine workshops here.