Here is a follow up (and an addition to) our post from Friday on photographing reflective surfaces.



One of the most challenging things to light is glass (and other highly reflective surfaces), because normally when we photograph a subject we are putting our light on that subject. But with glass we do the opposite, we are lighting around the subject.

I have put together some incredible examples of how to light reflective surfaces, so hang on, here goes:

The first resource is from us, here is the post of a shoot we did with our client Mastercam.

Resource number two is from one of my photography heroes David Hobby (aka Strobist), it was an assignment he shot of flavored vodkas, so follow this link to see all the shiny details.

Number three is from Strobist as well (see, I told you he was a hero), and it too involves alcohol, this time it's beer, check it out.

This link is from DIY Photography (yet more beer).

Another resources is from Pixiq and shows a dramatically different way of shooting the same product (Vodka).

Here are the last two well done tutorials for lighting glass here and here (sorry, no alcohol in these).

We will close with two video tutorials, the first is how to shoot glass, the second is how to shoot metal..

Subscribers, you know the routine, you will need to return to the blog to watch these videos (as they do not get pushed through with your subscription).

Last night we topped 900,000 views on our YouTube channel.

We need to thank all of you for taking the time to watch our silly little videos, and to Scott Kelby for doing his "long exposure tutorial", which is by far our most popular video.

If you want to see our worst video, check this one out, a great product but a really bad video.

:)

So we now roll on to the 1,000,000 mark, a HUGE milestone, made possible only because of you.

THANK YOU!

(click on image to view larger)
Nope, this is not a tutorial, there's no "big secret" or "trick" on how to edit, it has nothing to do with a Lightroom preset or a Photoshop action, and it's not a review of that next best piece of editing software.

It's a picture, just one single picture.

This is a photograph I took of my daughter Katie (aka: boo boo) on prom night a few weeks back.

I have taken a bazillion photographs that show how pretty she is (not that I am biased), but I think this is the first photograph I have taken of her that truly captures (and shows) her stunning inner beauty.

It's what I see every time I look at her... and I wanted the world to see it too.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have made it pretty clear on this blog that I am a HUGE Zack Arias "fan boy"!

We have posted about Zack more than a few times, reviewing his One Light Workshop DVD (which we also named "product of the year"), we reviewed his CreativeLIVE workshop, and also shared his tutorials on using white seamless (to name a few).

With that being said, lets talk about the latest book to do the "UPS thud" on my porch, Photography Q&A: Real Questions. Real Answers from, you may have guessed, Mr. Zack Arias.

Believe it or not, the first thing I read when I open a book is the dedication, I think it speaks volume about the belief structure of the author.

Now, about the book itself.

Q: Who is the target audience of this book?

A: Anyone who takes their photography seriously, being an amateur or professional photographer has nothing to do with it, being serious about the craft of photography does.

Q: What was the origin of Photography Q&A: Real Questions. Real Answers?

A: It started with Zack's Tumblr blog Photography Q&A: Ask me anything about photography (where you can still ask questions or read the other questions along with Zack's answers).

Q: Did you like this book?

A: No, I absolutely LOVED this book, so much so that I will find it hard to give away to one of our readers.

Q: Is it really just questions and answers?

A: Yup, a 100 of them, about gear, about business, about the best places to go on the web to get good honest critiques of your work, and I can't tell you how many times I said "oooh, that's a good question".

Q: Did you have a favorite part of the book?

A: Yup, page 62, Zach talks about why we should photograph the people we love.

Q: Anything else?

A: I really liked his answer to the question about building a portfolio (page 216), probably the longest answer to any question in the entire book, really really well thought out answer. Lots of visual cues and examples along with the rational for why. It drove home the point that our portfolio is the most important thing we as photographers "put out there".

Q: Is the book worth the money to buy and time to read?

A: OMG YES! Because of the diversity and range of the questions it would be impossible to cover everything that's in the book, but I can tell you truthfully - not once did I read a question/answer and think "well, that was a waste of my time".

The questions are the same ones I (and I bet you) have, and the answers are phenomenally educational.

Seriously, it's like sitting across the table from Zack Arias and peppering him for hours with every question you've ever had and listening to his thoughtful and insightful answers, how could that NOT be extremely valuable?

The things you'll learn that will add to your photography are priceless, and the time and money you'll save by not making the mistakes Zack talks about will be worth far more than the cost of buying a few cases of this book.

There are educational opportunities that don't require you to ever touch your camera, it requires you to listen, to think, to learn from the experience of others, and if that interests you, you can't do any better than Photography Q&A: Real Questions. Real Answers.

First, I want to wish a warm and wonderful Father's Day to all you dads out there. If I could give the new ones (those that still have the shine on them) just a small piece of advice, cherish being a dad, drink it ALL in, don't miss a thing.

You may think the road is long, but I had one daughter graduate last week, and now my twins will do the same in less than a year and I swear I don't know where the time went, obviously I must have been in a coma because surely 18 years could not have past by this quickly.

Along with other changes in my life Father's Day will be different moving forward, not that it's a bad thing, but change can be scary.

And what I wouldn't give to have them come running into the room wearing their one piece footy pajamas just one more time.

Here is a "re-run" of a previous Father's Day post:

I was having lunch with my friend Bob, our ritual is lunch every Thursday and I always enjoy our conversations as Bob is thoughtful and insightful man.

When Bob talks, I listen.

At this one particular lunch I was telling Bob about my dad, who left when I was 6, and how it had been decades since I last saw him.

I told him that on my 40th birthday a card containing a letter arrived from my dad telling me of his regrets, that a lot of water had passed under the bridge, and that he would love to visit. Reading his words didn’t provoke any emotions, the anger of him leaving us had long since gone, but I didn’t feel the need for a reunion either. The letter went into a drawer and I never replied.

Bob asked why; I told him that “at this point in my life I didn’t feel the need for father”. He nodded and then thoughtfully responded, “ya, but maybe he has a need for a son”.

It was like I had just been struck by lighting. I got it.

I found out where my dad was living and made arrangements to go see him.

But he died before I got there.

Regrets don’t come from the things we do, sure there are some things we won’t do a second time, but we learn from them, there was a lesson in there for us.

The true regrets come from the things that we don’t do.

You too may be at a point in your life where you don’t feel the need for a father, but maybe you have a father who needs a son.

Something to think about.

Happy Fathers Day dad.

(me and my dad)

For whatever reason I have not done a very good job documenting the area I live in "photographically" and have decided that this summer I am going to change that.

So this past weekend I picked my first victim and headed off to photograph the town next door, Old Orchard Beach (Maine).

The population explodes between May and September as Old Orchard Beach is most definitely a tourist town, it has a kinda "carny" town feel to it with all the rides, games, and pier, it also has some of the nicest beaches in Maine.

Here are some images that represent a typical Saturday night in OOB.

Click on any image to view larger, especially the one of Elvis!

Lots of rides...

And you can't throw a rock six feet in any direction without hitting a pizza place....

The best part of Saturday night is that I can now say, "I SAW ELVIS!"

Yes, despite those occasional potholes and bumps in the road, life is very good.

Now your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to go someplace close to you, that you may have been to a bazillion times but never really photographed and do just that, capture it like you wanted to tell a story. Then (please) upload an image of two to our Flickr group.

If you are not already part of our Flickr group we would love for you to join us, you can get all the details on how to join right here.

This is a camera bag that I bought and love, it's perfect for those quick trips to go out to take pictures when you want to bring just the essentials, not necessarily everything you own.

And every time the Lowepro SlingShot 102 is on sale I let folks know because I am not the only one really fond of this bag.

Right now you can get the  Lowepro SlingShot 102 for just $49, almost half of what everyone else is selling it for, AND it comes with free shipping.

Be sure to use the coupon code "S4595955" during checkout to get this great price.

It's said that knowledge is power, if that's true then the magazine Behind the Shutter will make you feel pretty darn powerful.

It's a free, online monthly publication geared towards professional photographers, but fret not, if your only interested is in taking a better picture, Behind the Shutter is a good resource for you as well.

Here is a screen shot of this months index (click to view larger).

Every issue brings you stunning imagery, great tips, and insight on posing and lighting, and lots about how you can run a more profitable photography business as well.

Here are a few articles from this months issue you will find interesting:

So head over to Behind the Shutter and signup today and let the learning begin!

Yesterday I was reading a story over at Money Talk News, "Top 6 Regrets of the Dying", and for me it was an eye opener. Some of those regrets hit just a little too close to home.

Here is the list:

1. ”I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.”

2. “I wish I didn’t work so hard.”

3. “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.”

4. “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.”

5. “I wish that I had let myself be happier.”

I am 57 and have been going through some unexpected and unpleasant life changes, all the more reason I do not, no... will not tolerate these regrets.

So I printed out the list and pinned it to the wall right next to the bathroom mirror, then I walked down stairs, grabbed the phone and started calling some friends that I haven't talked to in far too long and started making some "reconnection" lunch dates.

It is my hope that reading the list will spark something in you as well, that if you carry some of these regrets that you'll cast them off and move forward as a happier person, living a fuller life, a life that has fewer regrets.

Because we deserve it.

To read the entire story (and find out what number 6 on the regrets list is), you can head over to Money Talk News.

I thought this subject dovetailed nicely with yesterdays post, it's a world wide project called "Before I Die", which invites everyone to stand before "the wall" and think... think about their lives, think about their hopes, think about their dreams... and then write at least one of them down for the entire world to see.

Before I Die was the brainchild of artist Candy Chang who created the first one on an abandoned house in her New Orleans neighborhood after losing someone she loved.

As there is a "wall of hopes and dreams" here in Portland (Maine) I decided to head over yesterday and grab a few photographs.

It was really pretty cool to see and hear peoples reaction, so even after I was done "clicking away" I just sat on the bench and did some people watching.

And speaking of clicking, you can click on any one of these images to view larger.

Didn't we just talk about this yesterday, living without regrets?

Building a treehouse really would be pretty darn cool!

And so would hugging Taylor Swift!

You know what they say, if you write it down it becomes more real, less of a dream and more of an attainable goal. With that in mind I encourage you (please, please, please) to head over to the Before I Die website and see if there is an installation close to you, and if there is, sure grab a photograph or two but more importantly, write down one thing that you are going to do before you die.

If you live here in Southern Maine you can head over to Flatbread Company in Portland to write down your dream (and have some really good food too).

I am a big fan of Kevin Kubota and the tools his company provides photographers, especially his Photoshop Action Dashboard.

Well, you can now get the Dashboard AND 50 Photoshop actions for free, Nada, zip, nothing!

Follow this link to learn more about, then download your Dashboard and free Photoshop actions.

Once you have your Dashboard installed head over and watch the videos on batch processing with the Kubota Dashboard.

This is a second in a series of self assignments to "shoot local", today it's Portland Maine.

Portland really is a pretty cool city, it has a small, warm, welcoming feeling while at the same time it has great diversity, restaurants, and entertainment.

I hope if you are ever visiting New England you make Portland Maine one of your stops.

Click on any image to view larger.

There are lots and lots of shops.

Cobble stone streets.

You'll find more mural covered walls than any other city.

Lobsters, yup, more lobster shops than you can shake a stick at.

And of course there are the boats, small ones and big ones.

I think it's about the only city I know that can successfully combine pirates and ice cream.

So, I'm not sure if they don't want you to dump anything, or just those pesky lobsters.  :)

I also hope that you have accepted my challenge to photograph the areas close to you and if you have, please share them on our our Flickr group.

If you are not already part of our Flickr group please join us, you can get all the details on how to join right here.

For under $10 ($7.95 to be exact) you can get a full version of Tiffen Dfx Essentials Digital Filter Software for Win/Mac!

Here's some of the features:

* 37 individual filters and effects
* Hundreds of built-in presets
* Create multiple layers
* Color, clone, red-eye removal and paint tools
* Preview effects before applying
* Create and save custom setups
* Import most file formats (camera raw, Kodak Cineon, dpx, tif and jpg)

So if you have a spare $7.95 (it comes with free shipping) you'll have some robust editing at your fingertips.

We will be "retiring" our "Flickr Wednesdays", at least for awhile. That does not mean we are retiring our Flickr group, oh contraire.

Our Flickr group will forever be a part of Weekly Photo Tips, and a big "THANK YOU" to all of you photographers who have been kind enough to share your work with the group.

Please enjoy this last Wednesday group, click on any any of them to view larger.

If you are going to upload images, be sure to put your name (and if you'd like, your website URL) on them, it will make it easier for folks to find you (and see more of your work).

If you are not already part of our Flickr group we would love for you to join us, you can get all the details on how to join right here.