Get the "big" shot in a big crowd

Unless you are a press photographer with clearance, most likely when attending a sporting event your seats are not front row. Or say a parade, graduation, red carpet, really any situation where you are trying to photograph around something blocking your view. Sure you can use a monopod to elevate your camera above the what is obstructing your shot, but how do you know what you are getting? The Argraph Corporation launched a product called Zigview that can help. It is a real time digital viewfinder for DSLRs that allows for a lot more freedom when shooting. The company also has a site where fans of the product can share their images of once "impossible to get shots" called How Do You Zigview? Now you don't have to miss the "big" shot when stuck in a big crowd.

"Impossible" Becomes Possible with Zigview: Picture Business Magazine May '08 issue

Talk about having fun with a product launch – Argraph Corporation has never stopped having a blast with their unique Zigview product, launched last year. The product, rotating, tilting real-time digital viewfinder for DSLRs, was well received in the imaging industry and the company has run several interesting promos around the p[product since its launch. The most recent marketing commotion is the response Argraph has gotten from asking Zigview users to send in some of the more interesting images the product is allowing to capture. The company claims, “Photos are pouring in from enthusiastic photographers around the world. They’re taking shots they never thought were possible. And they’re posting the incredible results on the “How Do You Zigview?” page of the Argraph Corp. website.”

Write your name with pictures

This is real cute and creative way to make a wall art piece that is all about you. This would be great for a kid's bedroom or playroom. No need to limit it to just a name. Spell out any word to fit the area you are designing.

Creative Wall Art: Your Name in Pictures: Design Talk

Here’s a creative idea for your walls that displays a name in a unique and artistic way. Because a picture (or 10 pictures, in our case) is worth a thousand words, why don’t we just show you the example first:What we did. We chose photos of each of the letters in “DesignTalk,” then framed and hung them together to make a personalized photo arrangement.

How we did it. You can go so many directions with this idea. For example:

Pick your word:

• a family last name for a living room, kitchen, or entryway
• a child’s name for a bedroom
• a teen’s nickname for a teen room
• a word to coordinate with a theme room (for example, “kick” for a soccer room, “fashion” for a fashion bedroom, “princess” for a little girl’s room, etc.)
• a sports team name for a basement, den, or game room (choose pictures from sports venues to complete the look)
• a business name for an office
• an inspirational word for a home office, home gym, homeschool room, or classroom

Pick your photos:

• Take your own pictures of shapes around your home or town that form the letters in your name (see an example here).
• Enlist your children to help you seek out letters they like to create a name for their room.
• Visit a photo site like istockphoto to search out photos in colors or themes you’re looking for.

Print your photos:

Use your favorite photo printer [We are assuming this means Mighty Imaging] to order the photos in the sizes you’re looking for. If you have the wall space, an easy arrangement would be to order 8×10″ photos and hang them in coordinating frames.

Barbara Bosworth retropsective at PAM

The Phoenix Art Museum (PAM) will be showing the work of Barbara Bosworth in the show entitled Human Nature: The Photographs of Barbara Bosworth at their Norton Photography Gallery until July 27, 2008. It is Bosworth's first exhibition in the American Southwest. The show includes more than 40 photographs, spanning nearly 20 years of the photographer's career.

It looks like Barbara also likes to use big prints to accentuate the impact of her work. One of the images debuting at the show is of a meadow that was printed to a 'commanding scale' designed to envelop the viewer.

It is that time of year here in Phoenix where people are looking for any way to beat the heat. Spend the day at the museum and see some great art to boot.

Human Nature presents the contemporary landscape photographs of Barbara Bosworth. Drawing together nearly twenty years of work, the exhibition demonstrates Bosworth's ongoing interest in people's presence in nature. She focuses on points of contact: bird-banders and their fragile catch, rifle hunters and their prey, lush green meadows marked by tire tracks, and the magic of natural phenomena easily overlooked: birds' nests, soap bubbles, an eclipse. Her photographs reflect the beauty she finds all around her, from a tiny bass swimming in a jar to the dramatic power of a pounding waterfall.

This is Bosworth's first exhibition in the American Southwest and features more than 40 prints, including both color and exquisitely printed gelatin silver photographs.

In addition, Human Nature will debut a monumental print of an overgrown meadow; shown on such a commanding scale, its deep green foliage immerses viewers in another world.

Creating custom repeating patterns

PS Hero is a site dedicated to Photoshop tutorials. In this tutorial they give a simple step by step on how to create your own custom repeating pattern by using the Custom Shape Tool. If you would like more choices than what is standard in Photoshop, they even have links posted for free custom shapes available for download.

Although the tutorial was not written with this in mind, we thought another great use of this technique would be to create your own wallpaper design for your home, office, or studio. The possibilities are endless, and what a great way to add a subtle touch and personalize your space.

Creating Custom Patterns

In this Photoshop tutorial we will explore the wonderful world of repeating patterns while creating one from scratch using a Photoshop Custom Shape.

Lighting Essentials Workshops

For many of us weekend warriors trying blend the correct exposure with the proper lighting technique is as much about understanding principles as it is mastering the knowledge.

Our friend Don Giannatti has been a bit of a local legend when it comes to addressing the unique challenges that come when you have a passion for photography. Well it appears that Don’s legend has gone nationwide as he has taken his knowledge (and his muse) on the road for a series of workshops that cover everything from the technical to the creative.

From Houston Texas to Chicago, from Boston to Portland Maine the lighting essentials workshops have been packing them in. I think the reason for his success is the fact that Don’s "not interested in auto settings or sticking a flash on your camera and clicking away. At the workshops you will learn to do it with manual strobes, manual settings and attention to detail that is the mark of a professional photographer."

At Lighting-Essentials.com you will find not just the workshop info, but all kinds of cool ideas and tons of inspiration.

So, as you sit around surfing the net all summer ask yourself; are you ready to redefine your photography? Do you want to beat the heat and learn to invest in yourself not just in equipment? If so grab your digital SLR and all the lenses that you can find, head out to San Diego on the 12th. of July to catch Don and his crew and learn how to see the light that only you can create!

Lindsay Palmer & Rebekah Brems collaboration

The GREENBELT is a show opening this weekend at the eye lounge that is a collaboration of two very talented fine art photographers Lindsay Palmer and Rebekah Brems. We were honored to do the printing for the show. The concept for the show is a new take on what is considered 'traditional' landscape photography. The images looked amazing, I know the final installation of the work will bring all the aspects together in a truly unique way.

This is also the last show before Lindsay embarks on her grand adventure to the Big Apple for graduate school. We wish her all the best in her endeavors!

Local photographers, Rebekah Brems and Lindsay Palmer, present a collaborative exhibition of contemporary, large-scale photographic works at eye lounge: a contemporary art space in downtown Phoenix. This photographic installation pushes the conceptual boundaries of landscape photography by physically and symbolically deconstructing popular subjects of the traditional landscape in visual art. The G R E E N B E L T reassembles natural imagery in provocative ways, focusing on an ongoing narrative mankind maintains with our environment.

The G R E E N B E L T is on display from June 20, through July 12, 2008.

A FREE, PUBLIC reception will be held at eye lounge on June 20, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

First Friday art-walk will take place the Friday, July 4, 2008.

eye lounge: a contemporary art space, is located at 419 East Roosevelt Street in the heart of the Roosevelt Row Arts district in downtown Phoenix. Regular gallery hours are Fridays from 5-9 pm and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. Eye lounge is a collective, artist-run, contemporary art space committed to fostering local emerging and established visual artists.

Arizona Game and Fish photo contest

The Arizona Game and Fish Department is now accepting photos for their 3rd annual calendar photo contest. Thirteen winning photos will receive a cash prize and will also be used for their 2009 Arizona Wildlife Calendar. All photos must be taken in Arizona. No more than 2 photos from one photographer are eligible to win.

Last year 630 photos were entered. One of our Mighty Artists, Leon Ritchie, won first place in the fish category for their 2007 calendar, see post here. Submissions of 8x10 photo prints or digital images must be received by 5 PM on July 7th. Each contestant may submit up to 12 entries.

For more information and entry forms visit the Arizona Game and Fish website. Good luck!

How to recover deleted files

What do you do if your computer crashes or you accidentally delete a file you need? Years worth of information could be lost in an instant. There are file recovery services that will try to salvage the lost information. The outcome is not guaranteed and it often comes with a hefty price tag. Lifehacker has shared some free softwares available for PC's that you might want to try before you spend hundreds at an outside service. There is also have a link for a Mac software for a nominal fee. It's better than crying on the keyboard.

How to Recover Deleted Files with Free Software

Ack! The computer ate my term paper! We've all been there at some point. You delete an important file, somehow it skips your Recycle Bin altogether, and for all practical purposes, it's disappeared into the ether. But before you hit the big red panic button, there's a very good chance that your file is still alive and kicking somewhere on your hard drive—you just need to know how to find it. With the right tools, finding and recovering that deleted file can be as simple as a few clicks of your mouse.

How to save money and have eye catching trade booth graphics

When designing a trade show booth it is all about attracting interest. When faced with so much information and so many choices what will make you stand out from the rest? One way is with killer graphics that will grab the attention of your audience. Unless you are big corporation that can afford to hire your own photographer; how do you find images that will motivate, and also be big enough to create high quality graphics needed for your booth? That is where stock photos can help. This article by Evan D. Owen of A Smash Hit! explains the different types of stock photos, and which will work best for your needs. You don't necessarily need to spend thousands of dollars to get an image that will draw in the crowds. Found [Via].

A picture is worth a thousand.....dollars! How to Save Big Bucks in Purchasing High Quality Stock Photos by Evan D. Owen president of A Smash Hit! Trade Show Displays

Pictures and graphics are one of the most important elements that a company uses to create brand awareness and communicate its message. Ever wonder where those images come from? The general term for these images is “stock photos” and the evolution of digital photography has caused a revolution within the stock photo industry. In our business of selling trade show displays and designing graphics for these displays we are constantly challenged with how to develop a graphical message that is suitable for trade show graphics. Trade show graphics are considered large format printing and it has its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to finding high resolution photos that when printed look presentable.

Tyson Crosbie book signing

Tyson Crosbie is one prolific artist. On May 15th he released his latest series of fine art photography focusing on his new home, Phoenix. He has now published a book to correspond with the Phoenix series entitled Phoenix 20. Tyson will be having a book signing party at his house on Saturday June 14th. Details about the event are posted here. If you wish to attend, please RSVP Tyson.

If you cannot attend the event, and would like to purchase a book, they are available through the link below on Tyson's blog.

Tyson Crosbie "Phoenix 20" Book Signing

This is as much a celebration of an personal accomplishment as it is a gathering of community. Tyson Crosbie published “Phoenix 20″ on May 15th and will be having an open house signing party. All who enjoy art, culture and downtown #phx are welcome to attend.

The tell tale signs of Photoshop work

Call me jaded, but I assume any image seen in advertising these days has had some 'work' done to it. If the Photoshop work is done well, it is almost like reading fiction, you can suspend disbelief long enough to imagine a world where no one has wrinkles and even super models can stand to have thinner thighs. Even at first glance you may not notice some tell tale signs of Photoshop work. Boing Boing in their post shared an article written by Scientific American that points out some ways to spot a Photoshop job. Also check out this page: Photo Tampering Throughout History.

HOWTO spot a photoshop job

Scientific American has a nice article listing the top five mistakes that photo-fakers make when they use photoshop to doctor piccies.

Surrounding lights reflect in eyes to form small white dots called specular highlights. The shape, color and location of these highlights tell us quite a bit about the lighting.

In 2006 a photo editor contacted me about a picture of American Idol stars that was scheduled for publication in his magazine (above). The specular highlights were quite different (insets).

The highlight position indicates where the light source is located (above left). As the direction to the light source (yellow arrow) moves from left to right, so do the specular highlights.

The highlights in the American Idol picture are so inconsistent that visual inspection is enough to infer the photograph has been doctored. Many cases, however, require a mathematical analysis. To determine light position precisely requires taking into account the shape of the eye and the relative orientation between the eye, camera and light. The orientation matters because eyes are not perfect spheres: the clear covering of the iris, or cornea, protrudes, which we model in software as a sphere whose center is offset from the center of the whites of the eye, or sclera (above right).

Patrick Rummans show in Pasadena

One of our favorite artists Patrick Rummans will have another show opening this week. This time in sunny Pasadena, California. Patrick has some beautiful new work he will be debuting at the show. He is one of three photographers in the Au Naturel show opening this Saturday May 31st at the San Marino Gallery in Pasadena. Good luck, Patrick!

Keyboard shortcut cheat sheet

Using keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop can help you save valuable time. Who can remember all of them? Sometimes I am doing good to remember my cell phone number.

Photojojo found a great tool to help. These skins are available for Mac laptop and desktop keyboards. They are color coded for quick and easy identification. There are versions for Photoshop as well as other software packages.

Now you can free up some brain space for more important information...like that cell phone number.

The Fastest Way to Learn Keyboard Shortcuts for Photoshop, Aperture, FCP, and more

You know that Photoshop whiz kid friend of yours? The one that plays his keyboard like a Steinway as he dodges and burns his way to photographic perfection?

That could be you.

When we saw these custom-fitted keyboard skins for Macs*, we knew we had to have ‘em.

The color-coded covers show you all the hard-to-remember shortcuts for your favorite apps and are available for Photoshop, Aperture, Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools, After Effects, and Logic Pro.

You wouldn’t learn how to type with a keyboard with no letters on it.

So why learn key commands without seeing them right on your keys?

All resampling is not the same

With the powerful technology built in our LightJet 5000, we are able to take smaller files and make big prints out of them. The capabilities of the machine have amazed me more than once. I should learn to not be so surprised when I see a beautiful 24x36 print made from a 8x12 sized file, but I can't help but be impressed every time.

What if you are trying to take your file even larger, and need to (gasp) resample your file. Not all ways of resizing in Photoshop will produce the same results. The method you choose to use when resampling your image can have a big impact on the final quality of the output. Especially when you are making a big print.

It is a question I get from customers all the time, so I am pleased to be able to share this information. Stephen Romaniello teaches digital art for Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ. He wrote this article for the June issue of Digital Graphics magazine. A lot of great information on the best way to prep a file for large format output. Too much to post it all here, I urge you to read the whole article. Here are some excerpts.

The Bigger the Better

When an image is enlarged by resampling in Photoshop, the colors of the new pixels are determined by one of the five interpolation algorithms chosen from the Image Size dialog box....

Bicubic is a more precise method that assesses the values of the eight pixels that surround each pixel in the image. With these calculations, Bicubic produces even tonal variations. It's recommended for images that have smooth gradients. Bicubic Smoother is recommended for enlarging raster images. The core algorithm is bicubic interpolation, but it smoothes edge pixels and reduces softening by adding pixels of higher contrast in the inner areas. Bicubic Sharper is used for reducing the size of an image, and works by eliminating pixels. It too is based on bicubic interpolation, but it enhances the image by increasing the contrast of the edge pixels.

Studio Lighting in a Flash

While surfing the net in the hopes of finding a solution for getting a custom white balance for a customers digital camera we’ve stumbled upon a company that has developed a portable, lightweight adapter that is designed to replicate the lighting effect produced by those heavy, tethered, powered studio ring flash units.

Whether you’re shooting fashion or portrait on the fly, have you ever wanted that three dimensional shadow – wrapped look that seems to come from around the subject? Well the folks at ExpoImaging have developed the Ray Flash.

The devise relies on the hot-shoe flash to generate its light and automatically takes advantage of your camera’s TTL metering. Because the ring flash light originates from a circle around the lens, it produces a virtually shadowless look on the front of your subject, while producing a soft even shadow around the edges. For you “gonzo” wedding shooters this adapter can be used as either a main or fill in light.

According to Erik Sowder, president of ExpoImaging, “It’s a great accessory tool for your strobe because it enables the photographer to easily achieve a high fashion studio portrait while on location. We here at Mighty Imaging think its cool because it has no electronics, batteries or flash tubes and best of all it does not require any cables.

Polor bear added to threatened species list

This week the US Department of Interior announced that polar bears will be added to the threatened species list. The dramatic loss of sea ice over the last 30 years has disrupted their environment, contributing to a sharp drop in population.

US Lists polar bear as threatened species: By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer on Yahoo! Green

Kempthorne (US Interior Department Secretary), at a news conference, was armed with slides and charts showing the dramatic decline in sea ice over the last 30 years and projections that the melting of ice — a key habitat for the bear — would continue and may even quicken.

He cited conclusions by department scientists that sea ice loss will likely result in two-thirds of the polar bears disappearing by mid-century. The bear population across the Arctic from Alaska to Greenland doubled from about 12,000 to 25,000 since 1960, but he noted that scientists now predict a significant population decline. Studies last year by the U.S. Geological Survey suggested 15,000 bears would be lost in coming decades with those in the western Hudson Bay area of Alaska and Canada under the greatest stress.

The plight of the polar bear is perfectly illustrated in the Save Our Home images presented by Steve Barbour and Alastair Firkin. It is heartbreaking to see the mother polar bear clinging to her cub on a tiny piece of ice surrounded by miles of water. You can do your part to help the polar bear. A portion of each sale is donated to the Nature Conservancy.

Gregory Crewdson photography

One thing I love about the CBS Sunday Morning News is that every week they will run a feature on an artist. It could be a musician, a painter, or in this case a photographer; Gregory Crewdson.

You have probably seen Gregory's work even if you did not realize it was his. If Gregory's work looks like an out take of a movie you may have seen, or a dream that you can't quite recall, that is not an accident. Crewdon's shoots take on epic proportions. A crew of 40 people spend hours composing each shot in order to capture that one surreal glimpse in to the imaginary world Crewdson has created. Most of his shots are taken at twilight to add to the eerie dream like feel.

Crewdson shoots his scenes on 8x10 sheet film which are then scanned so it can be refined digitally. He then makes 7 foot prints out of the image, "We print them this size because it's like...well to me it's like a picture window". When faced with a 7 foot print there is nothing to get in between the viewer and the art. It allows the viewer to construct the story themselves. Since more questions than answers are presented in Crewdson's work, in many ways they are like ink blots, each image can have thousands of different interpretations depending the individual viewer.

Just Showin' Up

If you're new to the Valley of the Sun, or have been here awhile, you might have found it a bit difficult to find one resource that offers a comprehensive list of art events that are going on here in town.

Well, look no more, just click on to Showup.com and prepare yourself to become fully immersed in the cultural action going on in and around the Valley. The goal of Showup is to supply a comprehensive calendar of events, bringing together into a single convenient online site; information that was previously scattered or not readily available at all. According to the Showup.com website, Showup is the signature enterprise of Alliance for Audience, which is a non profit corporation that exists to unite, strengthen and promote the arts and cultural community within the Greater Phoenix Region. "Props" to Lynn Ducey with the Phoenix Business Journal for alerting us to Showup's redesigned website and it's current listing of more than 3,000 art events here in the Valley.

From Artist profiles to the venues in which they appear - from rave reviews to nearby ideas for food, drink and fun to Wrap Your Night, then the resource for you is Showup.com...It's all you gotta do!

Tyson Crosbie now on Mighty Imaging

Tyson Crosbie recently relocated to the Phoenix area. He had previously resided in Austin, Texas. We are excited to have his talent added to our growing metropolis. Tyson's style of photography is unique. He takes abstractions from the urban landscape and creates a new interpretation of the object. You can get lost in some of the colors and textures.

His new Phoenix series was just released on May 1st. I love how he was able to tie in the feel of the southwest in to the subjects he chose to use for his images. His art is available for purchase through our Shop for Art program. One really cool feature about Tyson's art is that each image is a one off edition. Meaning that once it is sold that is the only time it will ever be printed. You will truly be buying an original and one of a kind piece of art.

A stunningly beautiful new series of 20 abstract photographs from Phoenix artist and commercial photographer Tyson Crosbie. Created within the City of Phoenix and capturing the unseen beauty of urban living. In essence he creates a portrait of the City of Phoenix that is both hopeful and truthful. He utilizes digital technology in a traditional process to create straight images of object found through observation. With allusions to the abstract expressionist movement and such painters as Motherwell, Rothko, Reinhardt, Johns, Pollack and Stills they will complement any design. Produced with the intent of large format display you could easily build a room around one of these or complement a current theme. Read what the critics say here:

http://phoenixartspace.com/articles/173

And then order your print today.

Quote of the day

Become aware of how you shift your focus during the day, literally. Just like a camera lens. See how your focus determines your perspective?
-Andrea Beaulieu
Your Authentic Voice

Andrea Beaulieu is a professional speaker, workshop leader and life coach located in Phoenix, Arizona.