PShizzy: The Blog

So I got up early, and decided to put together a Flash presentation on curves. To be honest, it’s one of those things that I always sorta understood, but explaining it can be very difficult. I should have tried something easier, like dunking a basketball (I’m 5′5) or finding a cure for some disease.

But it’s there. And in order to explain it, I used Lightroom. Yes, I used Lightroom to explain Photoshop curves. It makes sense if you watch the presentation. I also had to make this more like a video, with full motion captures in order to show the effect of curves on an image.

So, continue on to read about the making of the curves presentation, as well as the link to the presentation. [Read more →]

Tags: photoshop by PShizzy
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So, in our last “Spending Smart” segment (I guess it’s a segment now, since so many people liked it), I discussed the art of budgeting and the very important first step: setting a budget. It’s really easy to get a lot of stuff when you don’t have a limit. This is why people go into credit card debt. They don’t see money disappearing or their pockets emptying. They just dismiss it as something to consider later. A budget is a way to consider now, and work within that construct in order to achieve a goal. Ok enough about that last segment.

Today I’ll go into the process, almost step by step, as to what I do when I want to buy gear. As much as I love photography as an art, I’m also a gadget and gear person. I accepted that I like stuff, but I do my best to be frugal about it. So this is what I do: [Read more →]

Tags: equipment by PShizzy
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The Grand Rapids Rampage squared off against the Arizona Rattlers last night. It was a pretty close game throughout, but a missed extra point cost the Rampage dearly, as the Rattlers went ahead by four late in the game, forcing the Rampage to go for a touchdown to win. The Rattlers walked away with the victory 52-48. They need a few more wins, as they’ve made an arrangement with their season ticket holders: No playoffs, and you get a refund. That’s pretty bold.

I just thought I’d post some work, and take it easy this Memorial Day weekend. No games between the Rattlers or Mercury for the next two weeks or so, so I’m hoping to buckle down and get some more Flash presentations out. I’ve been getting lots of ideas, and I appreciate that because it gives me a better feel for the direction I need to take the posts in.

Keep up the comments and email.

The gallery for the game is here

Tags: photography by PShizzy
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I saw this on the Rob Galbraith site so props to him for posting it. It’s a commercial by Canon, entitled Journey, which showcases the Rebel XSi. While it’s a commercial, they took the photos of 10 different photographers in various scenes, and made a large sequence of photos, showing the journey of man (and woman), from a small child in a backyard all the way through to the NFL. It’s a wonderful commercial.

I bring it up because it has to do with photography, but also because videos can be inspiration for still work. While different mediums, a great scene is a great scene, whether it’s captured by video or still. I especially like commercials, because they are condensed. A commercial has 30 seconds to capture your interest, sell you on an idea, and keep itself in your mind enough to transcend the tv screen, because they eventually want you to go buy some item or service. Images are similiar, in my mind. An event may last hours, or even days. We select a limited amount of images, and they need to take you through the gamut of emotion, the spirit, and the feel of the event. [Read more →]

Tags: general by PShizzy
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Yesterday, I spoke about how important proper white balance is. A well balanced image shows very good, true colors. But how do we figure out that proper white balance? There’s a lot of ways, actually, and each method has some positives and negatives to it. Let’s take a look at the image below.

I think I did a fine job with the idea of the image: An expectant bride, recently married, is waiting for her husband. The empty chair sells me on that vibe.

But look at the white balance. It’s this sickly yellow that envelops the entire image in its tint, and to me, it’s especially noticable on the dress, and on the brides skintones.

In this post, we’ll look at different ways to get a good white balance. [Read more →]

Tags: photography by PShizzy
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Last night, I covered the second game of the Phoenix Mercury season. Phoenix was 0-2, losing their home opener to the Sparks, and a road loss to the Silver Stars. Early on the Mercury really took the lead, going up by 21, but eventually the Storm came back and won 87-83. A link to the gallery is in the full post.

Last weekend I spoke about the key elements to covering an event. This time around, I’ll cover the bases on the technical side of an image.

What makes for a good clean image? What keeps the images looking consistent in their color, white balance, and exposure, not just from one image to another within one event, but from event to event (as an example, compare last weekends gallery to the one for last night’s game).

In this post, I’ll do an overview on things you can do to keep a consistent look and quality to your images.
[Read more →]

Tags: photography by PShizzy
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I’ve got a game tomorrow, which should make for a fun post, so today I thought I’d answer an email:

I will be shooting (for fun and some friends) at the Veterans Wheelchair games. I got a Canon 40D (with grip) from my hubby for Christmas (going from a Kodak Hybrid).I have been practicing, (not good yet too much rain everywhere we go). Anyway I end up laying on the ground, squatting, and everything you can think of because they sit instead of stand. I have the following Lens (most bought on sale). I don’t have any “L” glass since I want to be sure before I spend that much money. I have the following: [Read more →]

Tags: photography by PShizzy
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It’s obvious that part of getting ready for your shoot is to pack your gear up. For some people this may be chore, for others a ritual. For me, it’s almost a challenge. But I’ve figured out a system for my bag(s) that I really like, so much so that my bags are almost always packed the exact same way. This isn’t new, I’ve had it this way for years. (for those that know me, yes I will be linking to “the video” again). And today I’ll share it with you. [Read more →]

Tags: equipment by PShizzy
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