Lynda.com Training Courses.

I have always been a fan of Adobe Photoshop ever since I first got a copy of Photoshop 2 many many moons ago. But last year I was introduced to Adobe Photoshop Elements, which I have found very useful and in a lot of ways for basic photo editing can be a better option than Photoshop CS. 

A few weeks ago, I got a copy of a Training course from Lynda.com 'Photoshop CS5 for Photographers' presented by Chris Orwig. I found the detail and style of the lessons to be very engaging and inspiring. I have always used the RAW format on my camera and Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) to process my images into elements/photoshop, but I always felt I was not getting as much out of it as I could or should. Partway through 'Photoshop CS5 for Photographers' at the end of the lessons for ACR, Chris pointed out another training course that he had done 'Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: Camera Raw 6'. I have been working through this course and have found that I now get a lot more out of ACR than I did before, to the point that I don't think I will be using Photoshop Elements any where near as much as I have been. 

Chris Orwig

The training course also introduced me to the Digital Negative file format (.DNG). Using this file format has many advantages to the native NEF file produced by my Nikon DSLR. It contains within it any edits that have been made by ACR, a jpeg preview. The file is also compressed so it takes up less hard drive space, which is becoming more of an issue as my catalogue of photographs has expanded. You can also include a copy of the original native RAW file if you like, but this does take up a lot more file space.

If you opened the wallet enough to get yourself a copy of Adobe Photoshop CS5 then its well worth your time and money to invest in these two training courses from Lynda.com.

The first selections for my LRPS pannel.

Along with my twig photo from my last blog entry, the next photo to make the list for possible inclusion is this one.

I particularly like this photo as it has all the parts of a good beach scene. Sand, sea, sky, people paddling, and a seagull.

I need to do a little work on colour adjustment. I want the sky and sea a little more "blue" and the sand a little more yellow.

Spring is here.

Well, at last, spring is here. photography is no fun in the winter. how do you hold a camera when your fingers are frozen? I did manage to take a few shots, we don't get much snow here in Blackpool, but this year was an exception. So out I ventured to grab a few shots and discover the  importance of getting the correct white balance set-up !

February and march were not the best months for me to be getting on with my photography. I had been looking forward to my holidays in Florida for months and months but about four hours after we arrived in Orlando we got a phone call to let us know that my partner, Jackie, her brother had died. There was very little we could do, as we couldn't get a flight back for just over a week as all the flights were fully booked, so we stayed out in Florida until our due date to come home arrived. We just made the best of it while we were there.  I did manage to get some good photos while I was there anyway.

Anthony G McDonald. One of the good guys. RIP fig fella !

Within a few weeks of getting back from Florida, I got a call to tell me a good friend of mine who had known for over 30 years (which is a long time for someone who is only 42) had also died. Two funerals within a few weeks of each other. Not the best of starts to the year.