As the city of Vancouver leads up to the Olympics during this final week, I find myself getting strangely more excited about the games. Why wasn’t I excited before? To be completely honest, I was only ever interested in watching a few certain events, but there was also this looming awareness of the politics behind the Olympics; especially now that they were in my own backyard. Like most of us, I’ve been doing my own belt-tightening when it comes to frivolous spending. I’ve cut back on entertainment, going out to eat, and even buying photo-gear. However, when it comes to our tax dollars, our government’s standpoint is that the sky is the limit when it comes to spending, and blank cheques are  plenty available in the name of Olympics. Sure, there are going to be *some* lasting benefits to these games, but none of which are going to have any sort of day-to-day impact on most of us.

Sails lit up at Canada Place

Hence, I decided that since the world is coming to Vancouver, I am going to be a part of it and make the most of it. What better way than to take as many photos as possible, and see the things that we normally don’t get to see. The city has never looked so alive and spectacular; there is literally something exciting to be seen in every corner. There are Olympic venues, decorations, free events, torch relays, and so much more going on in the city right now… it’s a photographer’s playground.

Olympic Rings at Sunset

So to all of you who carry a camera, and even those of you who don’t normally. Grab your gear, get out there, and take a moment to just have some fun shooting. Think hard about how you would like to capture the Olympics from your point of view, and tell your story through a lens. There are sights to see, people to meet, and memories to be made. We’re paying for the games to be here, so let’s do what we do best and take some brilliant photos to show the rest of the world who aren’t able to be here to see it for themselves.  It’s true what they say: “The world is what you make of it”; for myself, I’m making it a colourful and photographic one!

Welcome back to the next round in our new year of contests and challenges folks. This particular contest should be an interesting one as we face off the beginners against the experts. Since we believe in life-long learning at PhotographyBB, we want to reward those who seek knowledge, as well as those who are kind enough to mentor and/or provide knowledge.

For some time now, we’ve had great success with our “No Stupid Questions” room in the PhotographyBB Forums. Here, beginners can feel free to post any photography related question they’ve had on their minds, and receive an answer from one of our more experienced members. It’s worked great and we’ve helped many people who may have otherwise been too shy to ask their question… until now…. We have a lovely prize package for one lucky “beginner” as well as one lucky “expert.” So here’s how this is going to work:

Beginners: Ask Your Questions!
We want all of the great folks who are just getting started with photography, digital SLR cameras, and image processing to put on your thinking caps and ask any question you may have burning inside you. There are 3 categories for you to post your questions in, and they MUST follow a specific format (see the brief “Rules” section for details).

The categories are:

• Digital Photography
• Photoshop
• Lightroom / Bridge / ACR

Beginner’s Rules:

1. All questions must be submitted in the CORRECT category in the PhotographyBB Forums. If you are not yet a forum member, registration is extremely fast and free. Any questions submitted into the wrong category will be eliminated.
2. When posting a question, the SUBJECT line of your posting must be related to your question. For example, we will not accept subject lines that read, “I need help!”. An example of an appropriate subject line would be, “What is Manual Mode?” If your question is a long one (which is great) please title the subject line appropriately so the “experts” can have some idea what the posted question will be regarding.
3. Maximum of 5 questions per person.
4. Contest period runs from Feb 5th to March 5th, 2010.

Experts: Share Your Knowledge!
To all of our more experienced members and those of you who enjoy sharing knowledge and helping others, we haven’t forgotten you! We want you to post your answers to the beginners’ questions, and since we want to encourage your participation you may answer as many questions as you can. There are some rules for our expert submissions too, namely:

1. You may answer as many questions as you would like to, however, the most thorough and easy to understand responses will be most likely to win our “experts” prize package.
2. If a response to a question has already been posted, you are still free to add to the reply. Once we feel that the question has been answered appropriately and thoroughly, the thread will be locked.

That’s really all there is to it folks! Once again, we will have 2 prize packages, one for the beginners and one for the experts. The winner of the beginners contest will receive Scott Kelby’s “The Digital Photography Book” volumes 1 through 3. The winner of the experts contest will receive a copy of “VisionMongers” by David duChemin. Both groups will also receive our entire collection of Premium Photoshop Actions. Additionally, more prizes will be revealed as the contest goes on! Let’s all have a great time learning and enjoying digital photography and image processing. Bring on your questions and answers!

I’d just like a quick show of hands as to who amongst you fine folks either live in Vancouver or plan on visiting Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic Games. I am assuming those of you visiting will be doing so with camera in hand, and those of you who live here will be shooting the festivities in one form or another? Do you have tickets to any events? What are your photographic goals for shooting the games? Personally, I won’t be attending any of the events, but I do plan to take as many photos as possible of all the tourists, celebrations, and venues that this year’s games will bring to the beautiful city of Vancouver. Additionally, if there is enough interest, I’d be happy to arrange a group photowalk in Downtown Vancouver during the Olympics.

In welcoming the world to Vancouver, many free and “street” events have been planned which are sure to show off both the spirit of Vancouver as well as the Olympic Games. One brilliant place to check out will be the Robson Square Outdoor (undercover) ice rink where you can skate below Robson Street while looking up at Vancouver’s Art Gallery or night sky. There’s also the 14 meter tall Olympic Rings in Coal Harbour which will serve as a stunning visual showpiece to mark the Games.

So the question of the day is, will you be in Vancouver for the Olympics, and if so, how will you be capturing your experience of the games?

We’re just about 2 weeks into 2010 now, and we’ve all had plenty of time to consider our new year’s resolution list. I’d like to know what your plans are (photography-wise) for 2010! Since it only seems fair, I’d like to start off by saying that I will be shooting more this year. Last year was an extremely busy work-year, leaving little time to shoot for myself; so this year that is something I’ll be changing. I’ll be bringing my camera gear out a lot more, in search of anything and everything to photograph. I may, however, leave my resolution to process photos more often until next year… Additionally, PhotographyBB will be bringing our magazine, blog, and forum readers much more this year in the forms of educational information, contests, and photo-community events. PhotographyBB Online Magazine will continue strong, and I hope you all continue to enjoy and benefit from the content.

Now it’s your turn… Are you an amateur who’s resolution it is to learn more this year? Shoot more, or expand your photography subject matter? Is there something in particular you plan to do with your photography for 2010? Starting a photography business or side-business? Or are you a professional photographer already, and if so, are you planning on doing anything more or different this year? One of the wonderful things about sharing our resolutions with each other is that we may all find a few suggestions from each other that may help you to learn something new or grow as a photographer this year. What are your plans, thoughts, and resolutions for 2010?

One of the most beloved traditions for many of us during the Christmas season has got to be “tree day” when we put up our Christmas trees, remember past Christmases gone by, and enjoy some quality time with those we care about. The choice of tree is always a personal one, and even more so are the ornaments with which we choose to decorate them. I certainly have some interesting ornaments which do say a lot about my personality (as noted from the above shot, I am obviously a die hard “Trekker”). Grab your camera and snap a few photos of your tree and/or favourite ornaments, and share them with our community here. Show us your personality by showing us your tree!

When it comes to our post-processing weapon of choice, many of us have a passionate connection to what we use. There are, of course, plenty of reasons (call them “advantages” or “disadvantages”) to all of the choices amongst the image processing giants; but in which arena do you find yourself in the most? Do you prefer Photoshop Elements? Photoshop CS/2/3/4? Perhaps you’ve made the jump into doing the majority of your work in ACR/Bridge or Lightroom? Or are you one of the brave souls who have chosen the venture outside the Adobe world completely, using software such as Aperture, Nik Color Efx, or your camera’s proprietory RAW converter?

The question is simple: We want to know what your processing tool of choice is, and why? Leave your comments below!

When it comes to shooting photos, most photographers would argue that photography is just as much a science as it is an artform. While photography may be one of the more technical arts, society still considers what we do to be “art.” In the province of British Columbia, Canada, government grant funding is available to support community and arts groups, to aide in their development and growth for the betterment of society. In a bold and daring move, the government decided to cut all grant funding to the arts during this recession downturn, citing that the obvious (health care, education, etc…) are more important during these tough times. The fury of public outcry on the issue has caused the government to go back on their cuts, and restore grant funding to the arts.

Are the arts expendable? Apparently not, but we wanted to know your thoughts. As photographers (or even amatuer photographers), have you cut back on your photography related expenses? Are you shooting less and working more? Developing less images due to the cost? It’s true that there are probably more starving artists than starving scientists on the street, so maybe for now, the arts should be a casualty of the times we live in. But think about what your life would be like without art, photography, paintings, books, music, movies, and television. What if everything we did, we did only to generate revenue. Yes, we may only wind up with a handful of successful artists, but those few provide inspiration to countless others, and spawn new art in the process. Yes, the times are tough, and while even successful artists such as Annie Leibovitz is (somehow)$24 million in the hole, this week also brings the remastered release of The Beatles collection, set to become the biggest selling album of 2009… 50 years after their birth!

This notion of “non-success” for artists can only be blamed on the school systems that teach art without teaching the business of art. Thankfully, our government went back on their desicion to cut arts grants, but maybe they shouldn’t have. Maybe they should have taken that money and re-invested it into arts education so that when you learn photography, you also learn how to market and sell your photography. For now, the cycle continues and the arts dodge a bullet; the handouts still keep coming. The arts are certainly not expendable, so let’s not put them in the position where arts funding needs to be questioned. We obviously all need art in our lives in some form. To all our photography enthusiasts, keep shooting, keep pursuing your craft, and keep inspiring… grant funded or not.

While we received some excellent feedback and spawned interesting discussion regarding our article on cell phone camera’s (and will they replace the point and shooters) back in our July issue of the PhotographyBB Online Magazine, never did we believe that we’d live to see the day of a wireless provider becoming your newest digital camera photography equipment retailer. In what can only be described as a “mystifying” move, wireless provider Telus has just purchased Canada’s national photography retail chain, Black’s.

Although it is highly likely that most of the Black’s management and sales staff will remain employed, we still have to ask the question: What exactly does a wireless (and wireline) service provider know about the photography industry?  Or flip things around; What do camera specialists know about wireless hardware, network technology, and the myriad of plans/options associated with wireless services in Canada? Apparently a lot! In a direct quote from the TELUS press release:

In anticipation of our clients’ evolving needs and as more wireless devices have imbedded high quality photo and video capability, there is a natural link between TELUS and Black’s.

It may sound like a bit of a stretch, but with a near 80 year history of photography and retail professionalism, Black’s will begin to sell wireless phones (with those contracts of course!) throughout their 113 retail stores shortly before the coming Christmas season. Just when you thought you were shopping for a digital camera for your loved one’s Christmas gifts, lo and behold you may just wind up buying a Blackberry or camera phone instead. You never know; you might be able to get that brand new Canon EOS 7D for FREE (after mail-in rebate of course) when you buy a new cell phone with a 3-year wireless term (voice and data required), with a required minimum monthly service fee (don’t forget to add other features like call display), activation fee, system access fee, 911 fee, etc… Isn’t that how wireless works up here? All kidding aside, perhaps the move does make sense for both companies - I am a self-proclaimed digital photography gear freak as well as a proud Blackberry addict; I just hadn’t imagined buying the two in the same place (outside of the big box retailers, because we’re certainly not talking big box here).

I’d love to encourage some discussion on this topic (regardless of where you are from). Are digital camera shoppers (you) interested in being pitched a wireless phone? Should a camera store remain “just” a camera store? Are the two technologies really that similar that this would be a beneficial marriage for consumers of either product? You tell us! (Pun intended!)

Is there really any difference between Lightroom 2 and Bridge CS4?
Being a user of both Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4 with Adobe Bridge, I often get asked what the differences are, if any, between the two programs and why one may be better than the other. If you are trying to make the decision between Lightroom 2 or Photoshop CS4, there are few differences between the actual capabilities of these suites, however, those differences may be a big factor in the decision on which software to go with.

Are You Editing RAW Files?
As far as RAW photo editing capabilities, both Bridge and Lightroom 2 offer the same controls in the “Develop” module when it comes to the various sliders for controlling exposure, hue, saturation, curves, etc… But the similarities for the most part, end here.

Lightroom 2 is really meant as a standalone application for the “busy” digital photographer. The organizational capabilities of Lightroom through the use of catalog databases and collections makes Lightroom much easier to work with and organize large volumes of photos QUICKLY. If you are the type of photographer who does not spend a whole lot of time post processing or doing digital artwork conversions, then Lightroom is the tool that will get the job done. Lightroom works best for photographers who shot several hundred (or even thousand) photos per shoot, and need to get the editing done quickly. As a standalone application, it is much more affordable than Photoshop CS4 and Bridge (which are bundled together), but of course, the editing and digital filtering capabilities that Photoshop offers are not present in Lightroom. You won’t be able to clone people out of an image with Lightroom or turn photos into painted works of art, but you will be able to do any adjustments to exposure, colour, saturation, contrast, sharpening, blemish removal, vignetting, and more (yes, you can still do these same things in Bridge, but at a much higher cost for the software).

Lightroom 2 also gives you the print, web, and slideshow modules making these tasks quite pain-free for the photographer who does not like to spend a whole lot of time on the post processing end of things. The slideshow module is excellent for giving presentations of your work to a prospective client, or even to show proofs to a client whom you’ve already shot for.

Photoshop Magic?
Photoshop on the other hand, has it’s place too. If you are the type of photographer or digital artist who needs full control and ability to make drastic and lengthy edits to an image, then there are few applications that can rival the editing capabilities of Photoshop. Photoshop does have a much steeper learning curve than Lightroom, and the ability to work on images with layers can be invaluable for certain types of editing and special effects work.

It’s a tough decision to make, but I would say that if you are a busy photographer who needs to quickly retouch and finalize large volumes of images, then Lightroom is a better choice. If you enjoy creating something in your images that was not there when the camera snapped the photo (and that includes things such as “smoother skin”), then Photoshop would be the way to go.

But hey, if you can affford it, then why debate the choice? Get the best of both worlds and you’ll sure to be happy!

I recently made a post on Twitter about the photographer’s new best friend being the Apple iPod. As photographers, most of us lead busy lives both in and outside of photography. Additionally, with all of the new camera technologies, accessories, and software (not to mention learning post processing techniques) learning more and staying up to date can be a daunting task all on its own.

Enter your new best friend – the iPod. Did you know that there are loads of excellent video and audio photography, Photoshop, and Lightroom podcasts available (free) for download? The video podcasts are great instead of watching TV, and the audio podcasts can be listened to in the car, at work, or when you’re out getting excercise!

I’ve been asked by several members if I could recommend some good photography podcasts, so here is a brief list of my favourite photography podcasts:  Read more…