Crop Corner

Raise high the mainsail! Batten down the hatches! All hands to the poop deck! Port outbound, Starboard home! OK, we admit it. We don't know much about nautical terminology or naval protocol. A sextant is a useless tool in our hands, and we never know when to tack. But we do know a few things about cameras and boats - the most important being that they go well together. At the risk of punning - photo opportunities abound on the bounding main! So, even if you can't tell a barkentine from a frigate, read on and enjoy these boating photography tips and creative ideas that will help you take great boat photographs. Then ... Mark Twain! ... and meet us under the Mizzenmast!

Before I begin this topic, I want to correct a misconception about lights for digital capture, especially strobes. Some people think you need special "digital" lights and that equipment used previously with film won't work. The manufacturers have encouraged this thinking with expensive hot shoe-type flashes that sport features designed to "enhance" the digital experience. The Nikon SB-800 and the Canon 580EX are examples that come to mind. Don't get me wrong. These are fine little strobes and if you have a DSLR that is fully compatible with those "enhanced" features (and don't mind the cost), fine, go for it. But you don't need them and anyway, hot shoe flashes are not really suitable for studio work, the subject of this article.

In a previous article, I mentioned Adobe DNG as an archive strategy for preserving RAW files. Here, I'm going to spell out my step-by-step procedure for utilizing this tool. You'll need Adobe's DNG converter (it's a free download from their Web site). You will also have to make certain decisions about your existing proprietary RAW files but I'll get into that as we go along. In case you are unfamiliar with DNG, here's a brief explanation. DNG is an open-source (meaning publicly documented) program for preserving RAW files, unlike the proprietary files your camera creates. RAW files from any camera can be converted to this format and you can even embed the original proprietary file in case you want to extract that in the future. DNG also embeds the metadata. Proprietary RAW files generally create separate "sidecar" files for this which can get misplaced or lost. Additionally, you can set the DNG preferences to include a JPEG preview. That's very handy when perusing a bunch of RAW files anywhere on your computer other than in Bridge or Camera Raw. You can see what images those cryptic file names actually represent.

Today I went the the CKC in Valley Forge. Due to a bunch of factors, I arrived with only 1 hour and 45 minutes to visit the Vendor Fair. I also had my almost-3 year old with me. Not the best circumstance for shopping, right?

Well - LOL - I somehow managed to spend a LOT in that short time.

Maybe it was the excitement of seeing full lines from some of my favorite brands like Rusty Pickle, or maybe it was because of the crush of other shoppers making it difficult to ponder what you wanted, or maybe it was that I knew I had to HURRY to make it through…

Let’s just say that I bought a LOT!

I think going back tomorrow would be a very bad idea at this point!

Incorporating index prints into a layout is a great way to highlight additional photos as well as add some visual interest. I’m always looking for layout ideas on how to accomplish this.

Check out these layout ideas:

• idea #1
• idea #2

Our beloved cat died in 2002. Last night I could finally bring myself to begin working on the layout that I wanted to create about him.

It all started when I was digging under my desk to untangle the mess of wires that seems to have a life of its own. When I was underneath my desk on my hands and knees (nice visual, I know), I found a tablet that I had written down some of my favorite memories of my cat the week he died.

I’ve been using that missing tablet as an excuse for not working on the layout for years. Now that I had the tablet - my excuse evaporated.

Why is it so difficut to scrapbook the moments in our life that are painful? Even when there are things I want to say, and want to record, I still procrastinate.

The layout is now started - the photos have been chosen, the list of memories typed in… I’m sure I’ll be glad I did it when it’s complete…

On the surface, making selections seems like a very straightforward function and hardly worthy of a separate tutorial, but there are so many ways selections can be made and used that it can really advance your Photoshop skills, such as providing you with the ability to make text on a path in new ways, or text within custom shapes. First let's talk about what tools are selection tools. The marquee tool, located on the top left in the toolbox is the most commonly used tool. There is the rectangle, the ellipse, the single row and the single column. These tools share the same spot in the toolbox and are accessed by using the tool flyout arrow, or right clicking. The last two are the least commonly used in digi-scrapping but can be very handy in making stripes.

Like most people who are addicted to this hobby - I have more paper than I can ever possibly use!

Does that stop me from buying more? Unfortunately, no.

The past few times I’ve been to a crop at a LSS, I’ve really tried to use the supplies I already own. It is just too difficult! I usually end up giving up on ths approach halfway through the crop!

One of the questions when purchasing paper is whether you should buy the entire pack or not. This article gives some things to consider.

As I mentioned in a previous review, I had a chance to go to Germany in June. Since I have gone completely digital in my photography, I have the need to plug in equipment for recharging batteries and general usage. As I was leading a tour of college students, I also decided to take my laptop, in order for us to easily view everyone's photographs. It also allowed us to download images onto CDs when our digital cameras' storage cards filled up. This allowed us to take more pictures and provided a safe backup of images.

Even if you are on an easy hike and reasonably close to civilization, get in the habit of paying attention to where you are going and where you have been by noticing natural landmarks. Recently, I heard about several situations in which nature photographers put themselves in jeopardy by not using good sense. As I discussed the safety issue with friends, we shared ideas on factors to be kept in mind when you're working in a wilderness setting. Prior to my workshops, I give participants a stock pre-trip lecture about not leaving gear lying around or walking away from your camera bag, not reaching into rock crevices without looking (you never know what you're disturbing), and the necessity of telling someone when you're going to go off on your own. These are basic safety tips. However, photographers can tend to forget other precautions, as well, in the quest for the perfect photograph.