TeachMeToShoot blog

Nikon D300 owners who shoot long exposures should update their cameras. And Sigma SD14 users, all of them. need to update their’s.

According to the Nikon site, the new firmware fixes "An issue that, in rare cases, caused vertical bands (lines) to appear in images captured at shutter speeds slower than 8s has been resolved." That’s it: one fix. If this doesn’t apply to your type of shooting you may want to just wait until the next firmware revision comes out.

Be sure to exactly follow the directions on the website for updating. You’ll need a fresh battery, memory card and some patience. Grab your D300 v1.02 firmware update at Nikons Tech site.

All SD14 users should update to the new v1.06 firmware. Fixes include:

• Accuracy of the custom white balance has been improved.
• One-day advance date counter that occurs with X3F images during an intercalary year was corrected.
• Review image quality on the camera’s LCD is improved.
• Users now have the option to disable the shutter release if there is no CF card in the camera. This option is found in the ‘Preview Style’ menu.

SD14 users can get the new v1.06 firmware from Sigmas website.

Keeping your cameras firmware updated is akin to updating Windows when patches are released. It’s especially important since camera makers rush to get products out the door and into our hands. Sometimes they don’t fully test products and new firmware can fix these errors.

Sweet, because it’s their Valentines special and it’s about half price. You can pick up 3 great software tools for just under $70. Hurry though, this deal is only on through Feb 14, 2008. Rush over to the ACDSee website.

ACDSee is an image management tool that supports lots of file formats, including PSD and RAW. Import, organize, use keyword tags, backup to CD/DVD, it does it all. You can even post your images directly to Flickr and Smugmug directly from within the program.

The Photo Editor makes you life easy with Auto Fix for contrast, color and more. You can create cards, calendars and many other projects to let your creativity come out. Text can warp or wrap around objects and with the Mask tool you can knockout a background or blend 2 images easily.

Fotoslate 4 is their printing program and the nicest feature is gang printing. Maximize your paper by printing as much on it as possible. Group wallets and 4×6s or do 2 5×7s on an 8.5×11 sheet. Fotoslate makes it easy.

These 3 software tools will do virtually anything the average digital photographer needs. Visit the ACDSee website before Feb 14, 2008 to pick up this deal.

In the latest Lighting 102 post on Strobist  Lighting 102: 5.1 — Refract and Reflect David talks about using just one light. I’ve always been a proponent of photographers starting with just one light and learning to master it before adding in more.

Back in my camera sales days I frequently encountered people who bought a light kit with 3 lights and turned out terrible photos. Cross lighting, ugly shadows from 2 or 3 directions. These people never learned to properly use the equipment. They assumed studio lights would magically transform their photos into works of art.

Dean Collins is mentioned in the article and how he was only allowed to use one light for his first year in school. As one of the recognized masters of lighting, he obviously learned the right way. Follow in his footsteps.

The Refract and Reflect article has a few examples of maximizing your one light. Using a side wall as a reflector, mirrored tiles, even crumpled aluminum foil. Think about what you have available and use it. I frequently use a single flash and reflector for all types of photos.

If you’re just getting started with off camera flash or studio lighting, start small. One light and a reflector goes a long way. Use your brain and find creative ways to light your subject. Shadows are okay. They give a 3 dimensional quality, show texture and detail, and prevent your subject from looking "flat".

Beside this blog, Strobist is a great resource for learning lighting. Bookmark it and visit often.

Lightroom has proven to be a very useful piece of software. Being able to use just one app for importing, sorting, finding, editing, printing and sharing has made my life easier.

To make your life easier in Lightroom, you need to make use of the numerous shortcut keys. You can find a list of shortcut keys off the Help menu from any module. Or just hit CTRL+/ (Cmd+/ for Mac) to popup the list.

The ones I use the most are:

• G – jumps right back to the Grid in the Library
• D – Jumps to the Develop module
• R – jumps to Develop and the Crop tool
• L – Lights out darkens all but the image. Useful when sorting or using the Crop tool.
• F5 and F6 – Show/hide the top toolbar or the Filmstrip at the bottom
• F7 and F8 – Show/hide the left or right tool panels
• Tab – Show/hide all toolbars and panels
• X – Flag for deletion. Then filter for Delete flag, select all and Delete.
• 1-9 – 1-5 Set Star rating, and 6-9 set Color ratings. Zero sets star rating to none
• Y – In Develop module show Before and After.

Depending on how you use Lightroom, you’ll have your own personal favorites. I would encourage you to look up all that are available, since you’ll likely find some you didn’t know about.

Some of my favorite Photoshop actions come from PanosFX.com. There are a number of free ones available and some more enhanced effects that cost a small amount.

Both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements users will find useful special effect actions. A Rubik’s Cube, Puzzle pieces, Cracked Wall painting, Spiral bound book, 35mm Filmstrip, a Stamp. The list goes on and on.

There are over 30 free actions on the PanosFX website. Go check them out and have fun creating some new digital art.

This is The Big Picture and I love the look.

While thinking about the upcoming Lunar Eclipse I started thinking also about exposure. Not the exposure to the cold I will experience, but proper image exposure.

A friend of mine recently acquired Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. It’s an excellent reference for both digital and film users as the same principles apply to both mediums.

This book will guide you through a complete understanding of apertures, depth of field, shutter speeds, ISO and more. You’ll learn to recognize situations where your in camera meter will lie to you and how to compensate. You’ll see examples all through the book to help you fully understand how using different settings affect the way your pictures look.

Proper exposure is essential, especially to digital photographers. Digital doesn’t have the leeway that film does, and you can’t expect to rescue digital images in Photoshop. It doesn’t always work.

For a clear understanding of exposure, get this book. It’s a great addition to any photographers library.