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No disrespect with the title of this post. Vincent’s recent book, taps into the OZ title and theme.  For those who are not familiar with this photographer, here is a brief bio:

Vincent Versace is a recipient of the Computerworld Smithsonian Award in Media Arts & Entertainment and the Shellenberg fine art award, is a six-time nominee to the Photoshop Hall of Fame and is the best selling author of Welcome to Oz a Cinematic Approach Digital Still Photography with Photoshop and. His work is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American

I have been following him for a few years. I particularly remember during a cold dark winter night Vincent was one of my first virtual mentors on NX2. His references and quotes were a departure from the styles of other authors/teachers.  He would say stuff like, “Welcome to the 21st century,…….quoting others, “..Printing is the Soul of your Image….”, and it resonated with me as much as the technique that he was showing.

Recently I saw his work presented at Photoshop World, Orlando.  He was the last NAPP photographer to present on the panel of seven.  In my opinion his images were better crafted, richer, fuller, inspiring and stood out against the Industries finest…. I thought about that later, each photographer has a unique niche, which consumes their time, energy, focus and effort, no one photographer can do it all, because their time is so precious.

Moose’s Images were killer stunning & visual in B&W..but after seeing what Vincent did with B&W and color, I saw a master at work,  Versace has developed a repertoire of current fine art tools which should influence and inspire others to another level..(Note: Sometime in the past Moose did work with Vincent, not sure of the story or timeline)

At PSW, they did a mini break-out session of a few hours, and I attended Vincent’s.  The information locked up in his head was amazing. He is a historian on B&W and all the various digital convertors available to transform color to B&W.  He spent thirty minutes walking thru all the aspects of the technologies and you knew right then, that this is why his work contains something special..that understanding and re-inventivness to get true Digital B&W, midtones, shadows, shades and color.

His primary focus is on photography as an art form. His approach and craft is how the eye follows light and color and how to make the viewer enter and follow thru the Images, by maximizing light, shadow and gesture.

…So… I just saw posted a few new workshops opening up at Maine Media Workshops with Vincent as the instructor and decided another adventure to the Sierra’s (as much as I love and want to return ) was going to have to be deferred.

The OZ man is in Maine !

This release by Nikon for their digital Image workflow software known as Nikon capture has been anticipated for a while. There is a lot of expectations on my part and perhaps the larger user community for some features… What are we looking for? basically a product that is not so buggy that goes into crash mode, especially when using Snow Leopard 10.6. I can’t tell you the amount of crashes that I’ve seen going up to Snow Leopard. Even with a full fresh install, it was never robust. The perplexing thing was that it did work on Leopard 10.5.8, so I kept a partition on my HDD with Leopard and used NX2 there, not a convient work flow.

The system requirements (pulled from Nikon site) are:

I know that a lot of pro-users seem to be bailing on NX2, Hogan and Chambers both have expressed and published information not recommending the product ( I think Lloyd has resorted to calling the product CraptureNX2 because of all the crashes) and Thom had a blog recommending not using it as a primary convertor in your workflow.

I am breaking with those thoughts and here are my reasons.

1. Nikon Raw File conversion is propieritary and everyone elses RAW conversions are best attempts at reverse engineering.  I want Nikon’s Raw file converted by Nikon not Adobe,CaptureOne,BibblePro,Lightroom,Aperture
2. It’s an easy process to reset your in-camera DLSR sharpen settings back to 0.  I choose to use DLSR in camera sharpening, so I can see a sharpened Image in my D3sLCD, then later deselect the sharpening that was brought into into NX2, and later apply sharpening when and where I want it.  I had forgotten about this workflow and Lloyd and Dr. Jason P. Odell book helped me get it right. (FYI Jason is having special workshops in the Connecticut in September)
3. I happen to really like NIK plugins for NX2, you can quickly set one up, then another, then another, then another, and they immediately become part of your action layer type list. You just can’t be as productive in PS5 using NIK Color Effect Pro, each selection requires the plugin to open, create a layer, then close, then you start again, this opening and closing and creating seperate layers takes to much time, almost 5 times longer  and it is not as interactive, and it’s a drag to the  creative process.   I may use NIK color effect pro maybe one or two final adjustments in PS5, but that’s it.  I always start out in NX2 and I’m flying….
4. Capture NX2 was designed by the folks at NIK who created the  global and selective features  control called U-points.  You can work much faster in NX2 than in PS5. Again Nik has a plugin called Viverza for PS5 but it has the same time limitations as Color Effect Pro, create layer, open plugin, make selection, close plugin, work on PS layer.
5. No other software will allow you to set Black point/white point/grey point easier. And if you’re the creative type, Moose teaches a great tip on using the white point to paint with. I think he has posted it up on his site, I know for a fact what this trick is and how he has used it on some super Images he created while in Camdem, Maine during a Maine Media workshop. I’ve incorporated the ‘tip’ in a lot of my work..it is simple, and extremely effective.
6. The alignment feature in Nikon capture NX2 is quicker as is the spot removal tool.  For those quick hits, I’ll defer to NX2, anything strange or larger than a dust spot then I relay on the PS5 tools.
7. I like having two separate files for my digital darkroom Images.  I know that I’ve worked my RAW NEF in NX2, by saving it with a designation cc before the .NEF extentions.  I’ll always have my original RAW adjustements squirreled away.
8. When I go out to PS with my NX2 raw file, the format goes to tiff, and although the same color space is used in both apps (pro-photo) and I always open in ACR, there tends to be some very slight nuance using the Adobe Raw convertor vs NIkon. I can look at the two separately to see how to tweak Adobe back into shape.

So given the above, I am hopefull that this new release address the robustness issues and after giving it a whirl, I’ll update this posting with results and conclusions.

The link for downloading the Sw is currently UK Nikon, and I’d like to thank the folks over at Nikon Rumor for getting this new release information out !

Update: 08/24/10-pm

1. Download from UK site no problems okay
2. Loaded on Mac Pro 2.66 Quad-Core Intel Xeon on Solid State drive running Snow Leopard 10.6.4 w/all current software updates.
3. Nikon NX2 V2.2.5 starts up ok.
4. PlugIn for NIK Capture Efex Pro 3.0 do not display correctly.**(see below)
5. Google for community help, nothing
6. Head over to Nikon Rumors Blog others who have done install report same problem. Thanks Alvix and Ralph D
7. Fix is to download and reinstall Nik Capture Efex Pro 3.0
8. Everything okay to start testing V225

Pictured: Nikkor 55-300, 85mm,24-120mm,28-300,55-300mm

I have held back on a dedicated posting on Nikon gear announcements and let the RSS link on this site to Nikon Rumors spill the beans so to speak. I tend to keep this site active during the day and see the feeds as they come in.

The new batch of lens can be preordered, which can be a really good thing if there is something that you can’t wait to get. My preorder expeiences have been positive, but I only deal with Adorama and haven’t tried Amazon. Getting the first batch of lenses can be risky, because Nikon is not know for their out for the gate quality.  But it is a great experience having on of the newest and the best if they and you hit it right.

My take on the what is being announced is that it looks like proconsumer technology. I don’t see myself doing any ordering for these items. I like primes, and my telephotos cover the range of these new lense, albiet not in the one lens all ranges. Second, most of my work is done in lower light, so I don’t like loosing 2 stops, even with VR, which I don’t use when I’m on a tripod, which is 80% of the time.

The one lens that I might want to hear about is the new FX 85mm f/1.4. But I’m wishey-washy on this one. Nikon blew the new 50mm 1/4 with its super slow AF, and the 85mm if used for portraits can’t be hunting around. Also, only the nano coating was changed no VR, and I see that the number of blades has increased which may change background. The 85mm for me is primarily a hand held lense, so VR would have been a plus. The current 85mm 1/4 is know as the ‘cream machine’ and its background rendering is like butter, and the lens is always on the top of everyones, best of breed, lens list from Nikon.  Still the current 85mm is showing its age, I am starting to like the new breed of Nikon lenses that have the one click button on the lense body to shift from M/A to M, this negates hunting for the Manual mode on the left side of the D3(s).

As far at the new D3100 goes, ….. I have two FX pro bodies in my bag, and I’ll hold out for the D3x replacement.  What does happen here with the D3100 is that some of the new features on the 3100, such as AF in Live View in video mode, will migrate upwards, so this is a good thing.

New gear is good for us all and it is great that Nikon keeps putting the time and resources into developing their portfolio and market share, we all benefit if they continue to get it right and move past the competition.

When I first started putting Images and content out on the WWW, I knew there was no way to really control content or copyright protection. I could watermark photos and put a copyright mark on them but that was about it, and I think watermarks are distracting. Watermarks may have a definite place in wedding, high school, real estate and perhaps some other high impact Images, but I tried them and did not care for them.

My next option, and one that I still use, is to frame my images and add a logo. This preserves the idea that the Image has been titled and has an author. So this concept of frames is part of my final workflow out put.

I next came across this service “Digimarc” just as they were upgrading their Photoshop plugin and they were campaigning their services. The cost to enroll is only $49 for Basic (for 1,000 images) or $99 for the Pro service for 2,000 images.

So for my final output, (all part of  my  PS5 “action”) Digimarc is an important step. This plugin will embedded in the bits of your  digital images your Digimarc ID and Copyright information in an electronic watermark which will not visually alter your image in any way (i.e. you can not see the watermark).

The workflow for using the product is straight forward and they have a number of online instructional videos. In a nutshell, you have to convert the image out of the PSD format to JPG in Photoshop, image size sb above 256X256, locate Filters in the toolbar, select Digimarc and embed your watermark, then you’ll select strength and watch as Digimarc does its thing as a green status bar pops up and embeds your watermark……very cool stuff !

Your next question maybe is,,,.  How does this help if no one realizes that the Image is watermarked because there is no human readable text ?   The folks at Digimarc have yet another service where they can scan the WWW and see if your content is out there being used without consent or authorization, and I’m told that if your on windows platform, that the Internet Explorer browser bar has an Icon that lits up or becomes active when a Digimarc Image is moused over…so the viewer is aware of the status…

Last but not least, the Digimarc website has a lot of user content, videos, and a very informative Blog….For my money and effort ..this is a wonderful product which provides some peace of mind for providing a pathway to researching  content misuse that would not take to much time if I had to go searching for infringements….

During my foray into the world of web design, I came across a Paid FTP application for Macs that really rocks.  I had been using a free app called CuteFTP Mac, that I was turned on to by RC Concepcion ,over at KelbyTraining.  CuteFTP was free and well cute…and has done me well for the past year, but when I got into some very heavy uploading/downloading it really bogged down. So I researched some other FTP apps and nothing seemed to compare to the feature rich, well designed Transmit 4.  Besides winning all the coveted MAC awards this application just gets more of my attention with each use as I explore it in ‘go-to’ situations.

An example is this screen shot, here I’m trying to ID which HDD partition that I have a file on to upload….the GUI  for navigation is great, the file path are right out there to see and track:

The next feature is a sync program that you can use to create a FTP backup, rather than downloading your entire sire from your server”

and I’m sure that sooner or later I’ll be taking advantage of mounting FTP disks or even a Amazon S3 CDN, as advertised:

and the feature that gives this a ‘go-get‘ rating is SPEED. Transmit 4 delivers some impressive results

1. 4x – List files
2. 18x- Download files
3. 2x – Delete Files
4. 25x – Upload files

Be prepared to payout some cash $34 for this little app, or keep a look out for discounts…

A book, a retrospective, an inspiration. Galen Rowel has been that adventure photographer whose thread connects contemporary photographers eight years after his untimely passing in a small plane crash.  I first heard and read about Galen, from Thom Hogan’s web site, and then while in Lone Pine, CA, Moose Peterson also recalled Galen.  I almost, almost took a trip to visit Galen’s Gallery in Bishop, but thought he’d agree to my spending my last day in the Sierra’s shooting the Alabama hills.

Galen published over twenty books in his lifetime. However, the book released in 2006 by the Sierra Club, titled, ‘ Galen Rowell, A Retrospective’ is simply an astonishing visually awe-inspiring collection of his Images.  The book itself is oversize to properly print these images in the correct 100% perspective.  The colors are dynamic and vivid and the paper and print quality are exquisite.

Galen was a climber with a camera. You are there in the Eastern Sierra’s and Yosemite, at altitude with climbers clinging, crawling, traversing, and free ascending mountain sides.  The emotion, focus, physicality of their bodies as the grope thru gravity by hanging onto the rock face walls is all captured on film by Galen the co-climber.

Within this volume you’ll find 188 photographs, and introduction by Tom Brokaw, forward by Andy Grundberg, and essays by photographers, mountaineers, biologist, novelist.  The book takes you thru Galen’s history of work both domestically and internationally. There is also a section which gives you a rundown of the gear Galen used and his inventiveness.

The quote that best sums it up Galen:

“Galen Rowell [had} a wonderful combination of qualities – eye, energy, intelligence, sensitivity, courage both physical and moral, and above all, heart. Very seldom have I experienced so clearly defined the connection between the artist and what he sees, feels, and does with the work itself.”  -Robert Redford…

I was fortunate to recently assist one of my fellow Moose Alumni in his search for a tripod upgrade from his current Manfrotto190xPROB.

The problem for anyone selecting their ‘last tripod’ is a journey thru the mired of internet information on tripod configurations and the fervor of discussions, opinions, misinformation and advertisements….research can take a long time…why..because we are looking at a major investment….and if you let compromise and 2nd guessing creep into your final decision and you’ll blow the correct choice.

The facts:

1. Height 5’11 = 71″
2. Eye level = 66′
3. Lens = prime & mid-telephotos,80-400
4. DLSR D700
5. BallHead = RRS BH55

Field Work

1. No major backpacking hike Ins
2. Ability to travel w/pod occasionally by plane
3. Landscape from desert to freezing cold
4. Stability & Flexibility to Growth

Recommendations Needed:

1. What Gitzo model ?
2. What Gitzo size ?
3. Where to purchase ?

Short answer: Gitzo: GT3541XLS

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A weakness of mine is getting too absorbed in the visuals that need to be captured and ingested and not paying proper attention to the opportunities to develop new friendships or renew old ones.   Yet, we all have some demons to deal with but there always seem to be more emotionally challenged folks in the arts.

To our rescue is a fascinating man who I met while in the Sierra Nevada’s workshop with Moose Peterson.  John C. Bruckman, struck me from the outset as a creative person,  who listened extremely well and was very easy to relate to and have conversations with.  When you add up these core personality traits with an advanced education at the doctoral level in organizational psychology, then you have one hell of a talented person in front of or behind the lens.

John has been training in photography since the late seventies where he concentrated on landscapes while in the Boston area of the northeast.  His business acumen in organizational psychology has yielded opportunities to work and photograph throughout the continents of the world while on many international assignments.

John has parleyed his skills of observation with various cultures to develop his ‘innereye’ which perceives at an emotional level and interprets at an intellectual level. Photography allows us all the opportunity to see and relate to our environment and the triggers for each of us can be unique and as much as a differentiation as our fingerprints.  I like what John has realized in his journey and how he presents his craft to others.

John is an organizer and he is the  co-leader of the Southern Oregon Photographers’ Forum and a member of the Rogue Gallery & Art Center.  John’s work and that of his Photographers Forum was recently featured at the Illahe Studio and Gallery in Ashland, Oregon.

I recalled from our discussions that John has a wonderful partner in life.  Barbara Bruckman must be one hell of a peach for letting John journey to the Sierras and hang out with us six photographers for the week, while she held down the fort during some stressful home front issues.

John’s Gallery Image and Image Information is presented below, additionally take the time to look at more of John’s work by following this link  John C. Bruckman

As a reminder, click the image for an enhanced lightbox display

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