Genius of Photography

Then Genius of Photography is a BBC documentary focused on Photography over the decades. Thanks to Pixsylated I’ve learned that all episodes have been posted to YouTube for general consumption. Those of us in the States will appreciate the importance of this as these have been very difficult to catch as they are so infrequently shown.

So, when you have some time go over to Pixsylated and use the links to get to the series on YouTube. I guarantee that you will find it educational and informative, I sure did.

Well, enjoy and let me know your thoughts, I should have all episodes up in the next day or so.

Click Here to go to Pixsylated’s post on the series.

Hosting Photos

I hear this question quite a bit. People always appear to ask where is the best place to post their pics, which is best, which is cheapest, yada, yada, yada.

I'm going to try to answer this question, but will say this. Go to the link below from the Photography-on-the-net forum, a Canon forum I frequent. This thread has a great review of the different options and how to use them. If you wan't to assess your options click below.

Where to Host My Photos - From Photography-on-the-net.

Now with that said I do have a preference.

I use Zenfolio and love it. I find the interface to be clean and professional, my users like the presentation. Further, I am allowed to sell prints, etc., etc. All of this added up, with their affordable price to make a good package for me. My recommendation is to take a look at Zenfolio, they have many different package options and outstanding customer service. There is even a 30-day free-trial you can use to give it a whirl. Finally, if you end up subscribing use the code below and save $5.00. Below are also some links which include the main Zenfolio site as well as my Zenfolio site so you can see it in action.

• Zenfolio
• My Zenfolio Site
• My coupon code: EC6-9EB-3RX

Feel free to let me know if there are any questions.

Tutorials

This will be an ongoing process/task, but I thought it might be useful to create a list of tutorials which I have found useful. Right now there isn't too much here but I plan to flesh this out with everyone's help

Lighting:

Flash Photography 101 - From Photography-on-the-net

• Chapter 1: Beginners Guide (Click Here)
• Chapter 2: (Why) Should I Get a Flash Unit For My Camera (Click Here)
• Chapter 3: A Systematic Approach to Bounced Flash (Click Here)
• Chapter 4: Guide Numbers and High Speed Sync (Click Here)

ETTL Wireless Config - From Photography-on-the-net

• Part I: Working with a single remote flash (Click Here)
• Part II: Working with multiple remote flashes (Click Here)
• Part III: Working with remote flashes in Manual Mode (Click Here)

Strobist Tutorials

• Lighting 101 (Click Here)
• Lighting 102 (Click Here)

Scott Kelby Lighting and Gear Week

• Day 1 (Click Here)
• Day 2 (Click Here)
• Day 3 (Click Here)
• Day 4 (Click Here)
• Day 5 (Click Here)

Misc Tutorials:

• Shooting Large Groups - From Chuck Gardner at Super Nova (Click Here)
• Evaluative vs. Average flash metering (Click Here)

Post Processing:

• Aircraft Post Processing - From Photography-on-the-net (Click Here)
• Black & White Conversion with Layer Blend Modes - From Photoshop Essentials (Click Here)
• Brightening Eyes - From Photography-on-the-net (Click Here)
• Skin Smoothing - From Ferradas Photography (Click Here)
• Using the Unsharpen Mask - From Photography-on-the-net (Click Here)
• Getting That Cool Gritty Look Right in Camera Raw and Photoshop or Lightroom - Scott Kelby (Click Here)
• How to perform soft proofing - From TechTutorials (Click Here)

Note: Should you have any you would like to share feel free to post a comment.

Recommended Books

I love books, I like to read and learn and have been no different when approaching photography. Therefore, below is a list of photography related books I have found useful. I will attempt to keep them grouped by category as best I can.

Should you not see a book you know to be good please post a comment with your recommendation.

General Reference:

• Best Business Practices for Photographers: Second Edition - By John Harrington (Find it on Amazon)
• Stephen Johnson on Digital Photography - By Stephen Johnson (Find it on Amazon)
• Vision Mongers: Making a Life and Living in Photography - By David DuChemin (Find it on Amazon)
  

History:

• Ansel Adams: An Autobiography - By Ansel Adams (Find it on Amazon)

Image Editing & Management:

• The Adobe Photoshop CS4 Book for Digital Photographers - By Scott Kelby (Find it on Amazon)
• The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 Book for Digital Photographers - By Scott Kelby (Find it on Amazon)
• The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers - By Peter Krogh (Find it on Amazon)

Lighting:

• Light Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting - By Fil Hunter, Steven Biver & Paul Fuqua (Find it on Amazon)

Technique:

• Understanding Exposure: Revised Edition - By Bryan Peterson (Find it on Amazon)
• Understanding Shutter Speed: Action and Low-Light Photography Beyond 1/125 of a Second - By Bryan Peterson (Find it on Amazon)

Note: I'm sure some of you are seeing that I am a bit of a Scott Kelby fan. His books are sometimes accused of being recipie books and while I do agree with this to an extent I find them providing me the base I need to go forth and learn on my own. I rarely need another book once I've reviewed his. Photoshop Elements 5 is the best example of this. I had the purchased 2 books prior to Scott Kebly's, each claiming to be the definitive resource and it was not until I read his that I became empowered enough to work in this app on my own.