Sunset Dilemma

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Tim Grey

I find sunsets so fascinating from a photographic perspective. As photographers, we seem to take extra special notice of sunsets. And yet, while sunsets can be quite remarkable to observe, they often don’t translate into great photographs.

RearViewSunset

I was reminded of this while getting some work done from the passenger seat while heading back to New York from Kentucky toward the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. The side view mirror revealed a remarkably colorful sunset behind me. But I knew better than to think I was going to be able to get a great photo. Without an interesting foreground subject, something to silhouette, or a sunset that is truly breathtaking, the photographic results aren’t likely to impress.

Still, I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t reach into my bag in the back seat to get my SLR, but I did break out my iPhone to capture some images of the sunset and clouds reflected in the side view mirror. As you can see from the photo here, I didn’t end up with anything I would ever use for any real purpose, but it was great to experience the incredible color, and fun to try to capture some interesting photos while enjoying the fading daylight.

Posted in Philosophical, Photography, Travel | 3 Comments

Austria Photo Workshop

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Tim Grey

HallstattAustriaI tend to chuckle a bit when I look back on my thoughts leading up to my first visit to Austria. I had been contacted by a good friend of mine who had started working for video2brain, asking if I’d be interested in producing video training titles with them. I already knew some of the people working for this company (based in Austria), and was impressed with what I saw in their products and plans. We agreed on the titles I would record first, and they offered that I could come to Austria to record the videos.

My first reaction was that there was no need for me to travel all the way to Europe to record new videos. Oops. What I meant to say was that I’d love to visit Europe again. I had never been to Austria, and frankly didn’t have big expectations. I didn’t know a lot about the country, but I knew that as far as I could tell it wasn’t a huge tourist destination. Then I got there and discovered this country is one of the best kept secrets in Europe!

The Alps simply defy description. Driving through the Alps was simply breathtaking. I visited Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt, Graz, and a variety of other destinations in many areas of Austria. I loved it. Austria is a beautiful country with a rich sense of history, friendly people, and great food. Not to mention great photographic opportunities!

So I decided after several trips to Austria that I’d really enjoy leading a field photography workshop there. On subsequent trips I visited and re-visited locations to map out a plan, and I set about researching the possibilities. And now, I’m happy to announce that my Austria Photo Workshop is a “go”, running May 19-26, 2012.

If you’re interested in signing up, you can do so (or get more details) through my online store here:

http://timgreystore.com/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=Austria2012

And if you’d like to see a short video where I talk a little about this workshop, you can see that on my YouTube channel here:

Posted in Announcement, Events, Photography, Travel, Workshops | Leave a comment

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Tim Grey

I really mean it. Thank you so much. As I wrap up the festivities after a month-long celebration of ten years of the Ask Tim Grey email newsletter, I can’t help but feel thankful. So it seems especially appropriate that this anniversary falls in November, along with the Thanksgiving holiday.

TimShootingInAlaska
Tim Grey photographing from the bow of the Alaskan Legend while co-leading a workshop in Alaska with Light Photographic Workshops. Photo by Hal Schmitt of Light Workshops.

First and foremost, I am thankful to my many readers. These are the photographers who actually tune in to what I have to say, who provide positive feedback (and worthwhile criticism when it is warranted), and who ultimately make it possible for me to make a living doing what I love. Thank you so very much.

I’m also thankful to some of the many companies who have supported my ten year anniversary celebration. My good friends at video2brain have done a great job producing my many video training titles over the past couple of years, and were kind enough to provide a free video training title to one lucky winner for every single Ask Tim Grey email newsletter during November. My friends at Lowepro provided a couple of Fastpack 250 backpacks (the same pack I use most when I travel) and a free Lens Exhange bag (check out my video featuring this bag on my YouTube channel) every day in November.

In addition, there were great prizes from Photodex, Red River Paper, Wacom, PhotoGlow, BorrowLenses.com, AV Bros., LensCoat, PictureCode, Florida’s Birding and Photo Fest, and of course, a few prizes from me.

I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped make this anniversary month a success, the Ask Tim Grey email newsletter a success, and my overall efforts a success. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Here’s to another ten years. And beyond!

Posted in Announcement | 5 Comments

Mobile Office

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Tim Grey

When I’m speaking at events I often get asked how I manage to send out my Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter just about every weekday (an email newsletter that I’ve now been publishing for over ten years). I can’t say that I exactly know how I manage to stay relatively consistent with these emails, other than perhaps the guilt and pressure of having photographers expect an email in their inbox each weekday morning.

MobileOffice

Of course, the truth is that I simply do my best to keep up with the publication schedule as best i can, along with all my other deadlines and responsibilities. Sometimes that means writing from some unusual locations, which I always find amusing. I’ve written the Ask Tim Grey eNewsletter (as well as chapters of books, magazine articles, and more) from locations that include airplanes, trains, cars, airports, hotels, restaurants, bars, and much more.

So I wasn’t exactly surprised when I looked up from my laptop while writing an article for my Digital Darkroom Quarterly publication to see the landscape of Pennsylvania streaking by (don’t worry, I wasn’t doing the driving). I had taken some time to visit my mom, two of my sisters, and most of my nieces and nephews for the Thanksgiving holiday, and on the long drive back to New York City wanted to do my best to get some work done. So I’ve managed to make the most of my mobile office to wrap up the latest issue of Digital Darkroom Quarterly, write a few blog posts (including this one, which I’m writing while heading east on Interstate 78 through Pennsylvania), and respond to some emails (though the inbox is still overflowing).

Back when I took my cross-country photography road trip I wrote about one of my better purchases, which was a power adapter that provides a standard household outlet adapted from the cigarette lighter power source in the car (though some cars now include a standard power outlet without the need for an adapter). That power source actually enabled me to power up my three-terabyte external hard drive so I could transfer some additional files to my laptop to wrap up some of my work.

So, while I’m amused by the wide variety of locations from which I end up writing, I’m equally amused by just what you can manage to pull off in a mobile office. I have an assortment of devices and more cables than I care to count, but I’m managing to get some work done while enjoying the view and making progress toward home…

Posted in Technology, Travel | Leave a comment

Lowepro Lens Exchange Bag

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Tim Grey

This month, to help celebrate ten years of the Ask Tim Grey email newsletter, Lowepro is providing a Lens Exchange bag to one lucky reader every day. I thought I’d take a moment to share why I think this bag is so cool.

I was at the PhotoPlus Expo trade show in October, and was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to catch up with my friends Suzanne and Derrick. They were kind enough to offer me a gift, and brought out what looked like a relatively small bag designed to hold a 70-200mm lens. I thought it was a little odd that they’d give me a gift aimed at a particular lens they didn’t even know I had, until they showed me exactly what this bag was.

The Lens Exchange bag is a very clever bag, allowing you to very easily swap lenses without the risk of fumbling a lens and dropping it to the ground. There are two “secrets” to this bag. The first is that it has two slots inside, so that when the bag is open you can fit two lenses inside. This provides you with a place to put one lens until you can grab the other to put it on the camera. The other secret is a nice big handle that enables you to open and close the bag with one hand when it is attached to your belt.

I see the Lens Exchange bag as a perfect fit for photographers who ever face a situation where they need to be able to change lenses quickly. This brings to mind photojournalists, sports photographers, and even wedding and event photographers.

To get a better sense of what this bag has to offer, check out this quick video I put together:

If you can’t play the video inline above, you can also find it on my YouTube channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqWWSbq66mo

And if you’d like to get more info about this cool bag from Lowepro, you can find it here:
http://amzn.to/lensexchange

Posted in Equipment, Products, Video | Leave a comment

Memories of a Road Trip

Posted on November 20, 2011 by Tim Grey

This weekend I presented a full-day program in Hamburg, New York, hosted by the Niagara Frontier Regional Camera Club (NFRCC). Since the location was “only” about a six or so hour drive from New York City, I decided it would be fun to make a mini road trip out of it.

HamburgFallLeaves

Fall is certainly coming to an end in this area, with a few trees holding on to colorful leaves, but most of those leaves having gone brown and fallen to the ground. Of course, that made for some areas where the leaves haven’t yet been scattered by the wind, and still form something of an autumn carpet below barren trees.

The weather was clear and cold, which made for a beautiful drive. Most of the route took me through rural areas, which was very similar to my experience driving across country earlier this year. Because my time was a little bit limited and the days are starting to get short, I didn’t have much time to stop and photograph along the way. But I very much enjoyed the view, and periodically captured some photos both on the road and during stops.

One of the things I enjoy most about this sort of road trip, where photography isn’t exactly the priority but is certainly on the mind, is that it causes me to be much more aware of my surroundings. Every farmhouse, barn, cow, hillside, field, lake, tree, and every other subject under the sun became a study in possible composition. And while in the car the movement of subjects around me became an additional subject category to ponder.

HamburgSemiWheel

I had a great time presenting to a great group of about 200 photographers at NFRCC, and lots of fun on the road trip in both directions. The experience actually reminded me just how much I enjoy road trips, and how much fun it would be to create another excuse to have a photography-focused road trip. So I’m starting to put together a plan for another road trip sometime next year that I think will be rewarding and fun. Stay tuned for details on that!

Posted in Events, Travel | 4 Comments

What is it About a Camera?

Posted on November 16, 2011 by Tim Grey

What is it about a camera that is able to bring out the silliest faces in people? Or is it just me?

Tim Grey with Lady Liberty

I was at the CNET popup store in Manhattan, right after presenting a session on making the most of holiday photos with Adobe Photoshop Elements. They had a big replica of the Statue of Liberty (OK, small compared to the actual statue, but big compared to most people in attendance), and a photographer was capturing images of people with the statue. Then the fine folks working on behalf of Adobe would demonstrate a basic workflow in Lightroom, choose the best photo from the bunch, and make a print for the attendee.

Of course, I also had to have my photos emailed to me, which they were kind enough to do for me. And when I got a chance to look at the photos, I had to chuckle a little bit. I looked like a fool. A fool who was having a good time, but a fool nevertheless.

Fortunately, I’m generally behind the camera rather than in front of it. But I think this was a clever way for Adobe to demonstrate a real-world workflow (under pressure, no less!) utilizing their software tools. I’m hearing rumors there may be future such Adobe-sponsored events, so stay tuned. You might just have a chance to get your own wacky photo!

Posted in Events, Philosophical, Photography | 2 Comments

Fun at c|net Gotham

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Tim Grey

This past weekend I had the great pleasure of speaking at the c|net Gotham popup store in Manhattan, as a guest of Adobe.

CnetGotham

My presentation focused on the use of Adobe Photoshop Elements for preparing photos for sharing over the holidays. I showed off some cool techniques for cleaning up common problems and optimizing photos quickly and easily. Then we moved on to some of the many creative tools available within Elements for sharing images, such as creating greeting cards, calendars, and more.

The crowd was fun, the space was cool, and there were many great gadgets to check out (including cameras and printers!). Stay tuned for news about more great presentations coming soon!

 

Posted in Events | Leave a comment

Foiled Again (er, I mean, Failed Again)

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Tim Grey

It seems my losing streak continues. I’ve long complained about the lack of reliability in external hard drives. And now another hard drive has failed, this time a bit 3 terabyte drive I use to backup much of my other data.

HDDRMA

I attribute the failure rate in large part to the lack of adequate cooling in most external hard drives. There are other factors involved, obviously, but I continue to be frustrated by just how unreliable external hard drives seem these days. I experience the failure of an external hard drive about once every year or so on average.

This latest failure occurs in a hard drive I purchased just a few months ago. Fortunately it was still under warranty. And fortunately deal with customer service wasn’t too bad an experience in this case. And fortunately I have a good backup system so I was fortunate enough to not lose any data as a result of this failure.

Like so many photographers I continue to struggle with issues of data storage and backup. There are many possible solutions out there, but it seems we always need to compromise in one way or another.

For example, in my own work I find it tremendously advantageous to work with external hard drives that can be moved from one location to another. But that means I’m more vulnerable to failures related to heat and other factors.

I’m hopeful that the new Thunderbolt interface now being offered on Apple computers (and soon available, I’m sure, on many devices) will help speed up the backup process. Now if we could just get this reliability issue under control for external hard drives…

Posted in Equipment, Pet Peeve, Technology | 5 Comments

Bonus Tutorial: Panorama Photography

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Tim Grey

It feels like forever since I recorded the videos for my latest video training title, “Digital Photos from Concept to Completion: Learn by Video”, produced by my good friends at video2brain and published by Peachpit Press.

Of course, it wasn’t really all that long ago (the folks at video2brain work remarkably fast at editing the videos to get them ready for customers). It just seemed like a long time because I was so excited about this title and so eager for it to come out.

I thought I’d share a “bonus tutorial” with you. It is a video that would have otherwise been left on the proverbial cutting room floor. You see, I wanted to include a project that involved capturing a composite panoramic image. We found a cool location, and recorded the video lessons.

However, a few days later I found a scene that I was much more excited about in terms of creating a cool panorama, so we re-recorded those lessons, replacing the original lessons.

For those who purchase “Concept to Completion”, you’ll get a chance to work through the full lesson on composite panoramas, including putting the images together in Photoshop after the fact. But I also wanted to share the video below, available through my YouTube channel, which explains the process of setting up and capturing a composite panorama.

You can also find the video on my YouTube channel.

Posted in Photography, Tutorial, Video | 2 Comments