Welcome to the 29th issue of PhotoFlash

Hi there

August has gotten off to an amazing start at BetterPhoto™! It began with the publication of my new book, "The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography". For details, go to:
http://www.betterphoto.com/product/ourProductDetail.asp?productID=1311

By the way, have fun guessing "Where in the World?" in this month's quiz (see below). The image is from my book!

Also, the first BetterPhoto Summit is just around the corner (September 10th and 11th, 2005 near the Seattle airport), and for everyone at BetterPhoto. the excitement is building. But you must act fast, since the $297 price goes up to $396 on August 11th! For information:
http://www.betterphoto.com/summit.asp

Looking ahead to fall, our next schedule of online photo courses has been posted. It's our very best lineup ever. Along with our awesome tried-and-true courses, several new classes have been added, including: "The Digital Landscape" (with instructor Michael Frye, who joins our team) and George Schaub's "Using Your Digital SLR". Check out BetterPhoto's entire lineup at:
http://www.betterphoto.com/photocourses/categories.asp

In this issue of PhotoFlash, don't miss instructor/author Robin Nichols' excellent article, "White Balance and Tone Control Settings".

To read the online version of PhotoFlash at our Web site, visit http://www.betterphoto.com/photoflashes/

Have a great month!
Jim Miotke
http://www.betterphoto.com/MG.asp?ID=124

In This Issue: Friday, August 05, 2005

• Featured Photo: Fresh Veggies
• Featured Article: White Balance and Tone Control Settings ... by Robin Nichols
• Where in the World?
• New Photo Discussion 1: Pleasant Valley, Eastern Sierra
• New Photo Discussion 2: Impressionist Tree Trunk
• New Photo Discussion 3: Indian Paintbrush
• New Photo Discussion 4: Beach Stones, Olympic NP, WA
• New Photo Discussion 5: Dance of the Day Lilies
• New Photo Discussion 6: Web Galaxy On Blue
• New Photo Discussion 7: Strawberries in Metal Basket
• New Photo Discussion 8: Country Fair
• New Photo Discussion 9: Synchronized Cycling
• New Photo Discussion 10: Graduate
• New Photo Discussion 11: Vancouver Port, Night
• The Next Step: Where to Go From Here

Featured Photo: Fresh Veggies

Fresh Veggies I used a handheld flash and a large white sheet of paper as a reflector to freeze the motion of water in my kitchen sink. Tamron 90mm-f/2.8 macro lens, 1/250 sec, f/16. © Uyen Le Canon EOS 20D Digi...

Featured Article: White Balance and Tone Control Settings ... by Robin Nichols
Choose a White Balance setting that matches your color requirements, advises Robin Nichols, who teaches the excellent Bare Bones Digital Photography online course right here at BetterPhoto. Keep the WB on "auto" most times, he says, but change them when shooting in a light source that does not look right on the LCD (for instance, the picture looks way too yellow, red, or blue). For more tips and tricks, check out Robin's excellent new article, "White Balance and Tone Control Settings".
Read more...
 

Where in the World?
Can you guess where this picture was taken? If you think you have a clue, try offering a response.

To learn the correct answer to the last quiz - and see who came the closest, visit the previous Where in the World quiz.

© Jim Miotke Miotke.com Canon EOS 10D Digi...

 

Jim Miotke's Book Has Arrived: BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography

In his awesome new book, The BetterPhoto Guide to Digital Photography, BetterPhoto™ founder Jim Miotke seeks to demystify the digital world. "I want to help make digital cameras less intimidating and more intuitive, so people can relax and have fun with their shooting," says Jim of his hands-on, lesson-based book. To celebrate the release of this fine book, the first 500 copies are numbered and signed by Jim! An added incentive: As Book of the Month, there's free U.S. shipping through August.  Learn more...

 

New Photo Discussions

New Photo Discussion 1: Pleasant Valley, Eastern Sierra Pleasant Valley, Eastern Sierra Evening, near Bishop, California; 80-200mm Nikkor lens; F/4.8 to blur foreground grasses © Kerry Drager kerrydrager.com Point, Think, and Shoot: Beyond the Snapshot Field Techniques: Light and Composition 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups (2nd Session) Nikon D2x Digital ... A unique photograph Kerry! Could you please explain to me how you got that effect? Thank you, Amalia - Amalia Arriaga de Garcia See Amalia's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Hi Amalia, How nice to hear from you!! Thanks so much for the wonderful comments. Several things are at work in this image: - The beautifully warm light of late day (just before sunset). - The high grasses right at the edge of a meadow (where I was standing). - A fine scene in the distance ... the meadow, a well-positioned tree (for a background focal point), a distinctive ridge line (at a strong diagonal and in contrasting shadow), and the distant mountainside. With those ingredients, I decided to move up close and shoot "through" the eye-high grasses - i.e., I focused on the background, rather than the foreground. Along with the combination of a telephoto perspective (80-200 zoom, set at 200mm) AND a wide aperture (low f/number), I was able to keep the foreground grasses verrrry softly blurred. I hope this makes sense ... if not, please follow-up. Again, Amalia, it's great hearing from you ... and I appreciate you taking the time to comment. All the best, Kerry - Kerry Drager See Kerry Drager's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Kerry Drager's Web Site - www.KerryDrager.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Kerry Drager: Point, Think, and Shoot: Beyond the Snapshot Field Techniques: Light and Composition 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups 4-Week Short Course: Details and Close-ups (2nd Session) Response 2:Thank you very much Kerry!, I think that I understand what you did. Thanks again. Regards, Amalia - Amalia Arriaga de Garcia See Amalia's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 2: Impressionist Tree Trunk Impressionist Tree Trunk Impressionist view of a tree trunk in a woodlands setting. Intentional blur incamera, no Photoshop filter. © Carolina K. Smith CarolinaSmith.com Nikon D2x Digital ... Wonderful use of technique to create this impressionistic shot, Carolina. The soft colors, shadows, and lighting are lovely! - Carol Brill See Carol's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit brilliantproductionz.com - Carol's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 1:Fantastic image, Carolina! love the impressionist feel and the colors! mel Timeless Images by Mellanie - Mellanie White See Mellanie's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Thank you very much, Carol and Mel. I was very surprised and taken by this when I opened it up in Nikon View. And it took a lot of restraint to NOT sharpen the image, since I am so used to sharpening ... lol! Thank you again. - Carolina K. Smith Visit CarolinaSmith.com - Carolina K.'s Deluxe BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 3: Indian Paintbrush Indian Paintbrush © Jim Miotke Miotke.com Canon EOS 10D Digi... I like the selective focus, the background control and the soft details and colours! Congrats. - Luquésio Melo Response 1:Thanks very much! I was really happy with this one too. Mid-day light but some thin clouds helped soften up the light a bit. The rest was just a 100mm macro lens and getting as close and low as possible. Thanks again! - Jim at BetterPhoto.com See Luquésio's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Miotke.com - Luquésio's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 4: Beach Stones, Olympic NP, WA Beach Stones, Olympic NP, WA © Brenda Tharp brendatharpphotography.co... Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography Brenda, this is such an amazingly beautiful Image! All the contrasts in shape, texture, and colors are awesome and it still has such a wonderful calming effect! I hope to learn to see like this! Thank you for sharing it! - Robert L. Andersen Response 1:Thank you Robert - the contrast of the textures and the shape of the stones is exactly what drew me to the scene. The coolness, or blueness of the light was from an overcast day, and I chose to leave it a little cooler as cool colors are more soothing and calming than warm ones. Glad you like it! - Brenda Tharp See Brenda Tharp's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Brenda Tharp's Web Site - www.BrendaTharp.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Brenda Tharp: Creating Visual Impact Beyond the Postcard: Creating Memorable Travel Photos 4-Week Short Course: Mastering Macro Photography Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 5: Dance of the Day Lilies Dance of the Day Lilies 2.5 seconds exposure at F-29 slowly zooming a 100-400 lens © William C. Raco williamracophotography.co... Canon EOS 20D Digi... Wonderful work, Bill!!! The colors give it such a rich feel. - Jill A. Johnson Response 1:Beautiful abstract image, Bill! Nicely done! - Stephanie Lyons See Stephanie's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 2:Love the colors in this natural abstract!! Nice work, Bill!!! - Janet Skinner Visit jskinnerphotography.com - Janet's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 3:Great abstract, Bill! - Tammy Scott See Tammy's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 4:Ohhhhhhhhhhh...wow! This is just so delicate and ethereal Bill...a tad ghostly with the wisps floating throughout the image...GORGEOUS! - Cindy Paquette See Cindy's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 6: Web Galaxy On Blue Web Galaxy On Blue f3.5 @ 1/50 second. Shot this one early morning in the fog, hung my jacket behind the web to get the blue color. © Kathleen Clemons kathleenclemonsphotograph... Canon EOS 20D Digi... Love the blue BG, Kath ... I'm completely fascinated with taking shots like this - I could get lost all day long if they'd stay dew covered like this one! This is wonderful! - Stephanie Lyons See Stephanie's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Wonderful title for this stunning photo, Kathleen. The blue background really emphasizes the shapes and highlights. I love how my eye is drawn to the center of the web where the largest water drops are. There is excellent detail from the thinnest silken strand to the largest crystal ball. Beautiful and eye-catching image! bill - William C. Raco See William's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit williamracophotography.com - William's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 7: Strawberries in Metal Basket Strawberries in Metal Basket Tokina 12-24 lens at 24mm, 1/60th at f/8, SB800 strobe from left side. © Rob Bishop Nikon D70S Digital... Delicious! Good job. I have just finished breakfast or I would be feeling very deprived! Love the jaunty angle and framing and the red and black background work so well. Great one! - Janet Williams See Janet's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Thank you so much, Janet! I shot so many of these tonight, I don't know my left from my right. I think the light is from the right on this one.;) - Rob Bishop See Rob's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 8: Country Fair Country Fair Parkesburg, PA © Ed Heaton edheaton.com Nikon D70 Digital ... Nice shot Ed, very colorful. Good exposure length. - Susan L. Vasquez See Susan's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Thanks, Susan. I shot several images experimenting with exposure time. I ended up with a 20-sec exposure. - Ed Heaton See Ed's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit edheaton.com - Ed's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 2:Ed, Color in abundance. Love the wheel and it nice action capture. Light, color and comp are all excellent. - Kerby Pfrangle See Kerby's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 3:Hi Kerby, Thanks! - Ed Heaton See Ed's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit edheaton.com - Ed's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 9: Synchronized Cycling Synchronised Cycling f14, 1/50, location Singapore, Cyclists 158 and 159 keeping pace at the event Singapore Trialthon 2005 this morning. © Wong Chek Poh Nikon D100 Digital... Fantastic action shot! Love the angle and crop. Amazing! - Laura E. OConnor See Laura's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Great action capture, Wong!!! - Jim Kinnunen Visit KinnunenPhoto.com - Jim's Deluxe BetterPholio™ Response 2:Thanks, Laura and Jim. The pic was composed as it appears. No cropping. I zoomed in for a tight composition. It was by sheer chance that both bikers were in line. - Wong Chek Poh See Wong's Premium BetterPholio™ Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 10: Graduate Graduate © Heather R. Morgan Canon EOS Digital ... I love this pic. What lens and settings did you use? - Shellie Response 1:Hi Shellie - thanks for the vote of confidence! This is taken with a 50mm lens at a shutter speed of 1/60, an Aperture Value of 5.0, and an ISO speed 100. There is a single Canon 440 speedlite flash mounted to a tripod and shot into an umbrella that has been placed at a forty-five degree angle to the subject, about a foot higher than the subject's head and about three feet from the subject. The subject is standing against a black backdrop. The flash is set by e-ttl using a 550 speedlite that is set to master but not set to fire. Hope this helps! - Heather R. Morgan Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

New Photo Discussion 11: Vancouver Port, Night Vancouver Port, Night RAW capture; EOS 1Ds Mk II; 48MB file; mid June, 2005 © Peter K. Burian peterkburian.com Digital Photography with Peter Burian Canon EOS 1Ds Mark... What an excellent photo! Of course, your composition is wonderful, but I also appreciate the colors your bring out in this shot. Great work! - Johnathan P. Lloyd See Johnathan's Premium BetterPholio™ Response 1:Thanks for your kind comment, Johnathan. ISO 1600; f/5.6 at 1/15 sec; 28mm focal length (lens with Image Stabilizer). Taken from a cruise ship. I could not use a tripod because of vibration from the engine. Peter www.peterkburian.com - Peter K. Burian See Peter Burian's Premium BetterPholio™ Visit Peter Burian's Web Site - www.peterkburian.com Take an Online PhotoCourse™ with Peter Burian: Digital Photography with Peter Burian Read this discussion online Respond to this discussion

 

The Next Step: Where to Go From Here

• Browse more photo discussions at BetterPhoto.com
• Start your own discussion on any photo in the Galleries
• Read archived issues of PhotoFlash

Until next time, thanks for reading and keep having fun with photography!
Jim Miotke
BetterPhoto.com, Inc.

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