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Hi there,
Yahoo! Welcome to our debut issue of the Digital Darkroom. What a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving.
In this first issue, we have 10 wonderful photo discussions that relate to the digital arena. We have selected only those discussions that explain techniques and processes in a way that would help beginners.
The featured photo this month is an delightful fantasy piece the combines two photos. Check it out below.
Lastly, the Before and After section gives you an opportunity to share digital tips and techniques. By uploading an original source image then showing how you change it, you will be able to really us all learn to become better digital photographers. And you might just win a cool prize.
I hope you enjoy this first Digital Darkroom and have a great long weekend.
http://www.betterphoto.com
In this issue:
 Tree Hotel 2 Images |
 Jumping for Joy - Original This is the source image shot with a Canon Elan. |
 Jumping - Intermediate Almost right... this one included real estate sign but its shadow was wrong. |
 Jumping - Final For this final version, I was able to flip and rotate the sign's shadow. |
 Each month, the best Before and After will be featured in the Digital Darkroom and the author/photographer will win a this cool prize.
To enter, upload a Before (original) picture then start a discussion on it (using the Discuss This Photo link under the picture). After telling us how you did created the effect, select "1" or "2" from the Upload Image pull-down menu, and submit an optional intermediate image and/or your final (After) photo. To win the prize, aim to educate and inspire by sharing a concise, detailed explanation of your technique. Enjoy! DreamSuite creates photo-realistic visual solutions for designers that are difficult or impossible to achieve using any other software or method. Get professional level results easily, even if you are a novice. Try it and find out how sweet dreams can be! Learn more about DreamSuite |
Photo Discussions - NEW This Week
New Photo Discussion 1: Home Fires
- Carol K. Response 1:Awesome colours! I hope this is on a wall somewhere . . . DD - Dwayne D. Response 2:Wonderful photo, Donna, with a real rustic feel. Love the colors! - Shelley S. Response 3:Thanks so much for the nice comments. I did this using MGI Photosuite. I started by using the antique filter, then cloning out some things in the foreground. I adjusted the brightness/contrast and cropped slightly. I then added the oil painting filter. It made me think of Thanksgivings long past. - Donna E. Response 4:Wonderful DA, Donna. - Lisa Y. See Lisa's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion |
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New Photo Discussion 2: Tavern on Wisconsin Ave
But I'll bet you already knew that :) First of all thanks for your kind comments.
As I find myself becoming more & more involved in the art, I really appreciate observations from all fellow photog's, but especially from those on your level. (how's that for schmoozing):-)
It's funny, but I didn't want anyone in the scene at all. Everytime I thought the scene was clear, people would wander into it.(smile)
The original extended out to the right and included a good deal of the side street. This wasn't so bad as the houses were picturesque and the street ran off into a tunnel of trees loaded with leaves in full fall colors.
I felt that this added length to the side of the tavern, and overall depth to the scene. However right near the corner were two delivery vans which broke it all up, thus I cropped!
As to the filter, I wanted to add something to the final picture to make it a little bit more than just a street shot. The canvas felt good!
Seriously...I want to thank you again for taking the time to comment on my work. It really helps, as for example, regarding the woman in the pic, "I really didn't know that" (smile)
Peace & happiness |
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New Photo Discussion 3: Two's Company
I love the perspective and the way you used the pelican in the foreground to frame the second one--unique shot. - Jeff G. See Jeff's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Good low-angle shot... many photos are better from abnormal perspective. Did you use telephoto, or just friendly birds? - Light _. Response 2:John, way to get in there! Viewing this picture I feel like a pelican myself. Nice shot. - Nick S. See Nick's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:Thanks for the comments. No I sat for a couple of hours on a sandbar and the pelican became very friendly. 7mm lens digital (angle of view same as 35mm lens if you were using 35mm SLR). I recieved many strange looks from tourists! - John W. Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion |
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New Photo Discussion 4: Balancing Act
- Gerda G. Response 1:Thanks Gerda for the comments. It took me about two minutes to stack them on each other. I have about twenty shots - some with just 3 cups and 2 saucers; this one is a bit more daring. I started the stack with a cup (being that seemed more difficult so more interesting) then I stacked to each side from there on up, until they would "fit". - Shelley S. Response 2:Very good shot, I like this one. - Ronnie S. Response 3:Wonderful! Perfect exposure, and I love the composition. Very creative~ Beverly G. - Beverly G. See Beverly's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion |
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New Photo Discussion 5: Sculpture in Berczy Park on Fall Day
I think the shapes and colors are great in this image! My only suggestion would be to clone out the red car, and the light fixture (to the right of the sculpture). I find them a bit distracting. +Guy - Guy B. See Guy's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Thank you, Guy, for your kind comments and good advice. I agree with you completely about cloning out the light fixture--I hadn't really been aware of the car until you pointed it out. Actually, I tried to get the light ficture out, but I'm not very good yet at controlling straight lines with the clone tool, and I made such a mess of trying to clone out the light fixture, that I reluctantly decided to leave it in. I'll try again. Practice should help. (I'm still a relative newbie to all this. I received my first digital camera in Jan., 2001.) Thanks again for taking the time to comment. I've seen your photos here and at several other sites on the Web, including Digitalphotochat and loved them. (Gerda) |
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New Photo Discussion 6: Tres Piling
Under the pier is a place that few people really take notice of the wonderful mix of all three of these elements.
© Paul Simonson
A lot of the time, that's just the way it is with me, I don't really see what I've got until I have downloaded and seen what I did.
Thanks for the comments! |
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New Photo Discussion 7: Cycle Racer III - Cropped
- Vickie L. Response 1:Hi and thanks for your comments. I used a film-based SLR for this shot. It is very hard to do such a panning shot with most digital cameras. This is mainly because most suffer from a bit of a delay when you press the button. Also being able to control shutter speed really helps. If you can get your hands on a digital SLR or other "prosumer" level digital camera, you should be able to get similar results. You just have to be able to set a shutter speed between 1/15 - 1/60 sec. Then "track" the subject as it goes by you, moving the camera. When the subject reaches optimal position (or just before), press down the shutter button as you continue to follow the subject. Enjoy! |
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New Photo Discussion 8: Inside The Snailhouse II
- Michelle C. See Michelle's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Here you are, Michelle: The Round Tower was originally built in 1642 by Christian IV of Denmark, as an astronomic observatory. Although there are 209 metres of stairway to the top of Rundetårn, the building itself is only about 35 metres high. Guests ascend an endlessly spiralling staircase ,which twists itself around the hollow centre of the tower seven and a half times. As you slowly but surely make your way towards the top taking in the beautiful panoramic view of the medieval city, spare a thought for those who have gone before you. In October 1716, the Czar, Peter the Great, rode his horse to the top. His wife, Katarina, made the same journey in a lightweight two-wheeled carriage. Whether it was laziness or sheer imperial contempt for Danish cultural customs remains unknown. Today, people of all ages visit the tower - tourists and kindergarten children alike. Each year nearly 400,000 people crawl, walk and run up the tower, not to mention those who cycle to the top. Once a year, a unicycle race is held. Participants have to cycle up and down without making any mistakes and without dismounting once. The tower's concert and exhibition rooms offer a wide variety of classical concerts and art exhibitions. You can read more about it at The Round Tower site. ;-)Trine |
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New Photo Discussion 9: Crumbled
- Light _. Response 1:That's a really cool shot. Very creative. I gotta learn how to do that! - Terry D. Response 2:Thanks! Here's how I did it... The hand was blurry in the original digital photo, so I copied around the hand and pasted it back on the photo. Then I enlarged the hand to make it look larger than the original (and so there would be enough to stick out from the sides of the photo), Then I magnified a great deal and used the erasre to erase around of the newly pasted hand as best I could. I went to the bottom layer (the Original) and applied the Crumble filter (AutoFX.com) plugin, then created a new layer where I built the background, and placed it beneith the other two layers. Then I wen back and applied a blurred shadow to the "Big Hand Layer" and a Darker shadow to the "Original Layer". There's a bit more to it, but only minor stuff. =Brian= - Brian W. Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion |
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New Photo Discussion 10: Giant Mushroom
- Betsy L. Response 1:Betsy, I captured the images in the Olympics, near Seattle. They were all over the place. Never have I seen so many mushrooms in my life. I'm glad you liked it, thanks for the comment. - Daniel B. See Daniel's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:You're welcome. Is it really as huge as it looks, or did the angle you took the picture at make it appear that way. It looks like something out of a fairytale. I really like it! - Betsy L. Response 3:Betsy, I used three different pictures to composite this one image. The mushroom is not really that large. I'm glad you like it so much! It's fun to tell people as a joke that I stumbled onto this scene while deep in the woods. - Daniel B. See Daniel's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 4:Wow! You actually did fool me. I would have never guessed it was a digital composite for some reason. And I should have considered that possibility being that all my work is layered images as well, but mine's a little more obvious, for ex: the one I submitted today was of my son fishing on top of a fishbowl in the sky ... pretty obvious! You're right though, that would be quite a scene deep in the woods... you'd almost expect a little elf to jump out at you! Again great shot. - Betsy L. Response 5:Hi Dan, I can envision this photo as a bookcover. You should do some homework and sell it to a children's book publication! Great job. Donnarae - Donna R. Visit DonnaraePhotography.com - Donna's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 6:Thanks, Donna! I appreciate the support. Sounds like a good idea to me. I'll give it a try. - Daniel B. See Daniel's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion |
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The Next Step: Where to Go From Here
