New Webcasts Coming and Last Chance To Book My Napa Experience & Master C!ass

Good Morning Everybody,

Yesterday turned out to be the busiest day of the convention for us with one webcast, one Westcott booth demo, and my program last night.  We did wrap the day by having dinner with our new friends at OnOne Software.  I can't wait to show what they've got going on.

Busy Day Yesterday!

My members only webcast entitled, "Plants The Seeds To Expectation To Achieve Sales Success" went off without a hitch and received "RAVE" reviews.  I'm thinking I may do an encore webcast presentation for our DigitalProTalk readers.  We're looking into when we can get it scheduled as we speak.  I will definitely keep you posted.

Yesterday we also caught up with my good friend and Adobe Certified Expert, Suzette Allan.  Suzette was my model for one of my classes years ago and we have stayed in contact ever since.  Suzette teaches extensively around the country and around the world showing attendees the real “under the hood” magic of Photoshop.  She has graciously agreed to do a webcast for us at DigitalProTalk sharing her expertise.  Once again, we're checking schedules - I promise, it will be sooner than later, maybe later this month.  Again, I'll keep you posted.

Yesterday morning Suzette and I were treated to a private training session with Janice Wendt, NIK Software evangelist, who introduced us to all the cool new features of NIK's Color Efex 4. We were all blown away with not just the new software, but the much more intuitive new interface. 

Not only that, but in the new version, NIK has added not just more cool filters and effects but even more importantly NIK Color Efex Pro 4.0 now has a History palette, Control Z undo, Copy and Paste Control Points, and Space Bar Zoom.  There was too much to go into today but when I receive my copy I promise to do a Technique Tuesday on it.  BTW if you use my “secret code – DZISER”, you can yourself 15% off any NIK purchase from their website.

Even more good news, NIK has lowered the price on it by $100.  They also announced a price reduction on my favorite piece of software, Viveza 2 which is now only $99! Hey pick up my Summer Success Collection for only $59 [link] and you receive a voucher worth $40 on any NIK product - that brings Viveza 2 down to only $69 - what a deal ;~)

Today I'm presenting programs at the Manfrotto booth and also at the Perfectly Clear booth.  If you're in the neighborhood, I hope you'll stop by.

Napa Experience & Fall Master Class Almost Sold Out!

Just a Quick Update - since we've been in Las Vegas at the PSW Convention, two more photographers have registered for my Napa Experience Private Workshop [link}.  That brings our total up to 5 leaving only 1 more seat available!  If your interested, You can get all the info and reserve that last seat right here or call 800.292.2994 and leave a message - we'll call you back on Monday with further details if it the seat is still available.

And, my Fall Master Class [link] is down to only two seats.  So again, if your interested you can get more info and reserve your space right here or call the studio at 859.341.5900 or 1.800.292.2994, leave a message and again we'll get back with you on Monday.

_____________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me this week.  We are off and running, but thankfully a shorter day. We get a chance to relax this evening and head home bright and early tomorrow with the weekend off.  It's been a great week in Las Vegas and a great time at Photoshop World.

I'll see you back in good ol' KY on Monday all the pixels willing.  Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you then.

Adios, David

Business Day Thursday: Planting The Seeds Of Expectation & Photoshop World Daily Recap

Good Morning Everybody,

Yesterday's Photoshop World kicked off to a rousing start with the opening ceremonies featuring the Project Photoshop presentation, I played the Tim Gamma (Gunn) character and Julianne Kost was Heidi Klum.  Scott Kelby, Matt Kloskowski, Cory Barker, Dave Cross, R.C. Concepcion, and a large cast of characters played the parts of the Photoshop designers. 

Terry White, Jay Maisel, and Fay Sirkus played the role of the judges.  The challenge was to design gowns based on the Various tools found in Photoshop.  It was hilarious.  Scott won, of course, with his "winning" design featuring the "paint bucket" tool.   You can get an idea of the festivities right here.

Photoshop World Day 2 - Great New Software Introductions!

Today the plan is to meet with NIK Software to get a private peek at their brand new Color Efex 4. I have been friends with NIK Software for many years and always look forward to their latest product launches. I am never disappointed.

I have seen wonders worked with NIK's Color Efex so I'm really looking forward to seeing what they have in store for their new release.  I'll keep you posted.

And speaking of software, the other big guys in that department, OnOne Software, are showcasing  their brand new Perfect Photo Suite 6.  Last week I sat in on two private webcasts in which they showed many of the features of their new product. 

I have to tell you, I was blown away by their new Perfect Portrait 1. It is the fastest, easiest way to retouch portrait images that I have ever seen!  I’ll get an opportunity to test drive the beta in just a few days.  I can't wait to fill you in on that one too.

Great Programs!

The programs and presenters are always great at Photoshop World. We sat in on Matt Kloskowski's Lightroom program yesterday and as usual I picked up a few tips along the way.

I think the most entertaining and educational segment of the Tech Expo is the Photoshop Wars booth hosted by iStock Photo. It's set up like a game show with two of the Photoshop gurus for instance Cory Barker and new Photoshop guy, Pete Collins going head to head on a project challenge.  Larry Becker, NAPP's Executive director hits the competition and keeps things lively and entertaining for the audience. It was really fun, and educational to watch.

At 1:00 today, totally unrelated to Photoshop World, I’m presenting a webcast on Sales and Marketing - it's a members only webcast for my buddy Chuck Lewis.  I thought what I'd do for today's post is cover the most salient points of my program.  I think you'll enjoy the sales tips.  Here we go.

Planting The Seeds of Expectation To Reap The Harvest Of Sales Success

OK, it's a long title but it really does speak to how you can enhance your photography sales.  You know, too many people are just order takers.  To be successful in any business, you really need to be an order maker.  A good place to begin is in your initial client consultation.

Sales Success Is More Than Booking The Event

It's more than just booking the sale or booking the event.  Sure, that's the main goal but there are many secondary goals on that first meeting too.  Let's say we just book the event - do we just offer our "Thank You’s" and say goodbye to the clients?  Too many photographers do just that and that begins to explain the severely distressed state of affairs for many photographers sales situations.

You have a client fired up about your photography, you've got them excited about how you’ll shoot their wedding - now just take it to next level.  After we initially book the client we quickly shift gears into the second phase of our sales process.  Let me walk you through just a few of the options we discuss with our clients.

Talk About What Your Current Clients Typically Purchase

Most of us have various levels of coverage - you know, like Wendy's the Single, Double, and Triple - the more extensive the coverage, the higher the price.  Our top coverage includes 100 images bound in a beautiful leather album - our clients love it!

As I'm reviewing our levels of coverages the conversation goes something like this. "Mary and John, let me tell you about the best wedding coverage I have to offer.  It's our Level One coverage and includes 100 of your favorite images bound in a gorgeous leather bound album like you see below (show sample album)."

Now Plant The Seeds Of Expectation

But then I plant the "seeds of expectation".  "But I have to tell you, if I've done my best job for you, and I promise I will, your going to want a lot more that 100 images.  In fact, most of our clients select about 200-250 images for their album.  You know, with so many emotions and so much excitement happening at your wedding, it's difficult to tell the whole story in only 100 images.  Don't worry though, we offer special pricing, up to a 60% savings on all the additional images you add to your final collection."

Two Great Results!

What have I done?  Two things - first I told them everybody selects many more that 100 images for their album, they will probably do the same.  Heck, I'll show them about 1500 images selectively edited from the original 3500 images that I've taken and they will love about 400-600 of them. It's an easy matter to have them settle on 250 top favorites.

Secondly and most importantly, I've told them that those extra photographs will be affordably priced.  That's one of the sales secrets - build the expectation for the client wanting a complete coverage, 200-250 images in their final album, and be sure to "message" to them that the additional images will be an affordable addition to the level of coverage they've selected.

More Seeds To Plant

After we've discussed album expectations, we move on to the peripheral products like B&W Collections, multi image collages, family albums, etc.  I don't want today's post to turn into a book chapter so how about I continue this series next week where Ill discuss a few more "seeds of expectations" plantings you'll want to cover in this initial consultation.

___________________________________________________

On that note gang, I've got to run. We've got another big day today.  I've got my meeting with NIK at 11:00 a.m. and then my webcast at 1:00 p.m.  Then it's over to the Tech Expo to check out the latest and greatest the exhibitors have to offer.

At 4:00 p.m. you can catch me at the Westcott booth demonstrating their brand new 84 inch translucent umbrella I helped to design.  I plan to be shooting to the iPad for that demo so it should be pretty exciting.  I hope you'll stop by. At 6:00 I wrap the day with my "Make Your Lighting Exciting" program and then it's out to dinner with our buddies at OnOne Software.

Yep, looks like another full day but, always a fun day too ;~)

I'll see everybody tomorrow for a quick review of today's happenings and news of what I find exciting at the show.

That's an "Over and Out" for me today.

Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you tomorrow, David

Quick Hit Monday: Deals, Deals, and More Deals; Request Line Still Open; CBTL DVD Update; Lightroom Bucket List, Perfectly Clear Images; and More

Good Morning Everybody,

Today is a big day – it marks the first day of the next ten days that we will be in town, back home, on our own turf… and we are looking forward to it.

We had a great time in Detroit over the weekend and captured some beautiful images at the wedding – I’ll share a few of them with you this week. We arrived home late yesterday and it just felt good getting unpacked and knowing we’ll be around for the next two weeks.

We’ve got a few things lined up for this week so let’s get right to it.

Request Line Still Open

Friday I did a post [link] about looking for ideas for upcoming Kelby Training videos.  I appreciate all the great feedback about my suggestions, but sure would like to hear more from you guys and girls about YOUR suggestions that are DIFFERENT than the ones I posted. Come on now, put on your “thinking caps” – I really want to hear your good ideas too.

Just post them to the “Comments Section” below – I promise to review each and every one submitted.

Super Black Friday Sales Coming Your Way

That’s right, nearly every retailer is doing it so we thought we would too.  We are in the middle of taking inventory to see what’s left over from out tour.  We over ordered a few items so look for some super great deals happening later in the week.

Also, I talked with LumaPix and have talked them into extending the $99 bundled pricing on LumaPix:FotoFusion for a couple more weeks.  You can find all my educational materials and products listed at our Digital Resource Center right here. We are getting all the details worked out with  our specials, so stay tuned.

Captured By The Light DVD Looking Good

I mentioned a few weeks ago that we recorded my Captured By The Light 2010 tour while in California.  I just heard from our production team that the DVD production is looking great.  I can’t wait to see it.

Last year when I offered our Digital WakeUp Call – A New Dawn DVD [link] with all the goodies thrown in, everybody loved it.  I’m working on putting the same kind of value packed combo together again this year.  So if you missed the seminar or I just couldn’t get to a location near you, the DVD set will have the complete presentation available. I’ll keep you posted.

What’s On Your Photography Bucket List?

I saw this post by Steve Russell at Beyond Megapixels.com [link]and it really got me thinking.  What’s on my “bucket list”?  Where would I like to go to capture some great images?  I think this is a great question for all of us to consider. 

Hey, I’m not talking about leaving today, tomorrow, or next week, but I sure do like the idea of putting the list together.  Just  by beginning the process of assembling our list, in effect, we take our first step in that direction. When we make it to our first stop, it has to be a liberating experience. C’mon, start your list today!

I’m starting my list right now:

Yosemite National Park, the Slot Canyons [link] out west, South African Safari, Italy – uhmmm… not a bad start so far ;~)

How About A Bucket List For Lightroom 3

OK, it’s a different kind of bucket list, but it is still a great resource listing for all Lightroom users.  Tom Hogarty, Adobe’s Lightroom guru and product manager, has been running a Lightroom plug-in project over in Twitter and Facebook all last week.

He’s taken all the LR3 plug-in listings and put them all in one grand listing.  Here is the listing right here.  Due to my crazy schedule lately I haven’t had a chance to check out to many of them, but if Tom’s got them on his list, I’m sure they’re good.  Looks like a weekend project to me.

I Want My Images Perfectly Clear

I caught this at ImagingInsider.com [link] over the weekend.  Athentech’s Perfectly Clear software was just introduced for the iPad. I had a chance to meet Brad, the owner of Athentech many times over the past few years at the various tradeshows around the country.  I’m always impressed with his Perfectly Clear image enhancement product every time I see it demo’d. 

Perfect Clear does just that – it just makes your images look great.  Brad has been gracious to let me try the product and with touring, etc. time has just slipped by and I haven’t had the opportunity to check it out the way I want.  Let me plan to put that on my To-Do-List. Anyway, check out all the Athentech products right here.

______________________________________________________

Hey gang, that’s it for me today.  It feels good to be home for a while.  So what’s next – the giant pile of “stuff” to go through on my desk ;~) 

How about I see everyone back here tomorrow for another episode of Technique Tuesday – hope to see you then.

-David

Business Day Thursday: LumaPix Rocket Speed Digital Design Webcast Now Live

Good Afternoon Everybody,

WOW! What a webcast!  We had over 700 folks register for the webcast and had people viewing it from more that 25 countries around the world!  From Australia to Switzerland, South Africa to Russia, Aruba to Sweden, Great Britain, folks signed in to see the program – thanks to everyone for being there.

It was kind of cool having LaDawn co-present - she is just so good at the finer points of LumaPix:FotoFusion. The webcast showcased about every feature we have fallen in love with since we began using LumaPix almost 7 years. Read the rest of the story below if case you missed it.

LumaPix Rocket Speed Digital Design Webcast Now Live

So many folks think LumaPix is just for collage design only, but in yesterday's webcast I really gave the audience a thorough and detailed peek under the hood of LumaPix showing how you could use it to confer with your clients on your design projects, enhance relationships with your vendor buddies, various ways to output and share your projects and so much more.

LaDawn did a great job showing the finer points of using LumaPix to create some really fabulous designs.  I quickly covered how to create “Swirls and Twirls” and LaDawn showed just how well they can enhance any project by showcasing how she puts together her Devine Designs.

The program ran about 2 1/2 hours and everyone hung in there till the end.  Once again, we gave away nearly $1,000 in door prizes! I could hear the crowd cheering through my computer ;~)

From the comments and questions Damien was fielding on our answer line, it sure looked liked everyone enjoyed the program.

I know the webcast time was not convenient for everyone. That's why I recorded it in it's entirety and I've reposted in all it’s HD glory just below. I will keep it live till Sunday at midnight. If you missed it, you still have plenty of time to check it out.

During the webcast I showed you how you can pick up LumaPix, normally $299, only $99. Does it work on a MAC, you'll have to watch the webcast for the special announcement;~)

_________________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today. I've got an early pre-Bat Mitzvah shoot at Plum Street Temple this morning. Plum Street Temple has always been one of my favorite places to take photographs and I'm looking forward to this morning's shoot. Check back tomorrow, I just might have a pretty cool image to post.

Enjoy the rest of the day and keep smiling - it makes the pixels wonder what you are up to ;~)

See ya’ tomorrow everybody, -David

Shooting Tethered - A Few Things You Should Know

Good Morning Everybody,

First off, I’m still planning to announce our tour launch today, but we are in the final stages of polishing up a few last minute items and getting the site links up and running.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Stay turned – the news may still pop today.

We’ve got lots of good things to talk about today.  Let’s get right to it!

Quick Tip Wednesday: Shooting Tethered - A Few Things You Should Know

Hey gang, today I thought I would discuss a few things about Lightroom 3's new "shooting tethered" feature. There have been a few YouTube videos on the subject, but they are going on about the "shooting tethered" feature much the way a commercial studio would shoot. I'll post the YouTube links at the end of this post.

Anyway, I'm a portrait, wedding, on location shooter. How can I make tethered shooting work for me? As I said, lots of the videos show the camera on a tripod with the photographer using the on screen camera controls to fire the camera. That may be great for the in studio commercial shooter but, it just doesn't work for the photographer shooting portraits.

We've got to go for the expression, follow the action, and make the exposure at that critical moment to get our best shot. As I make my shots, I want them to sail right on over to my computer so we can get instant gratification from the client.

Lightroom 3 let's you do just that. In fact Lightroom 3 makes the process almost effortless. Notice I said almost. Yes, tethered shooting in Lightroom 3 is about as easy as it gets, but there are still four things you need to keep in mind when your camera is wired to your computer.

Hit the “Read More…” link below for the videos and the rest of the story.

Let me give you my 4 top tethered shooting tips:

1- When shooting tethered, you will most often if not always be working more than ten feet from your computer. More likely the distance will be 10-20 feet away. I like the longer cable run because it creates less of a possibility of yanking the connectors from the computer or camera - not a good thing.

The problem is that USB cables will not give you consistent data transfer over that distance. That means you've got to use USB Active extension cables. These cables boost or amplify the data signal from the camera to the computer. It really is necessary to use these cables and they will set you back a few bucks. I picked up two 16 foot USB Active Extension cables at CablesToGo.com for $34.99 each. They worked like a charm.  Here is the link to the cables I purchased right here. I love working with this company - great products and great customer service.

2 - The weak link in this entire process are the cable connectors/connections over the distance of the cable run. For the cables themselves, to keep them from coming undone over the 35 foot run, just tape them together so they don't become dislidged. I actually knotted mine together on my last shoot, but I didn't think it was good for the cables because of their thickness. Use tape instead.

The bigger thing to watch for is the connection into the camera. I have not been able to find a mini USB jack that does not stick out of the camera any less than two inches. To me it looks like an accident waiting to happen.  More than once I set my camera down right on the cable side of the camera. Fortunately nothing got damaged. It would be nice if somebody like CablesToGo.com would manufacture a mini USB cable that would fit much more flush with the side of the camera.

3 - Another thing you need to be concerned with is how fast you shoot your images. You've got to take your time when shooting otherwise the data connection will "choke" and will stop transferring your images. That has happened to me more than a time or two. If that does happen; you will need to go though the entire process of closing down Lightroom 3 and reconnecting the camera in order to get back up and running. It's more of an inconvenience than a problem.

Remember too, that the consistency of your data transfer is linked to file size of your image. The larger the file size, the slower the transfer. And the slower the transfer, the slower you must shoot to avoid the "data choke" issue. I was shooting my Canon 7D on mRAW and as long as I shoot at a moderate pace, no PJ shooting here, I had no problems.

4 - I recommend shooting with your regular import presets. That just saves time down the road in your post production. Le's say you had a hang up when shooting tethered as I mentioned above. Don't worry about it now. Just import from your flash card as you normally would into the directory you set for your tethered shoot telling Lightroom 3 to not import suspected duplicates.

That's about it folks. Shooting tethered is really easy with Lightroom 3 and even if you do get disconnected or the camera powers down, Lightroom 3 will not miss a beat getting you back up and running once the connections are back on line. Like I’ve said - way easy shooting with nearly immediate feed-back.

I hope the four tips I given you today give you a few insights as to how to make your next tethered shoot go off without a hitch. If you've got a few tips for our DPT readers, why not share them in the comment section following this post. Happy shooting everybody!

Additional Video Links:

Akel Studio: Lightroom 3 and Capture One 5 [link]

Yanik’s Photo School: Shooting Tethered In LR3 [link]

Lynda Podcast : LR3 Tether Dialogue [link]

CameraDoJo.com: Tethered Shooting [link]

ProPhotoResource.com: Shooting Tethered Set Up [link]

_________________________________________________________

Hey gang. that's it for me today, we still have a few loose ends to tie up with the tour right around the corner.

Also, I am concurrently working on another project for my buddy, Will Crocket's Friday Photo School which I will be presenting next Friday, August 6th.

I’ll provide additional information to you as we get closer to the date. So for now, mark your calendars and plan to join in. As is usual, things are REALLY cookin' around here so I've got to get scooting. How about I see everybody tomorrow for another episode of Business Day Thursday. Our topic, "How To Set Your Prices".

Hope to see you then, David

FREE Webcast "Fast and Easy Digital Design - Part 2" Announced Today With $1,200 In Door Prizes Given Away!

Good Morning Everybody,

I’ve got some sizzling hot news for you today!!!

Announcing

Fast and Easy Digital Design - Part 2

Next Tuesday, July 6, 2010  2:00 - 4:00 p.m. EDT

(International GMT 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.)

Over $1,200 in Door Prizes

will be given away during the webcast!

That's right, today I'm announcing the second part of my very popular Webcast I did last week.  Last week's Fast and Easy Digital Design - Part 1 was heard by over 2,000 photographers worldwide!

It was so popular, I thought I would do a Part 2 version.

Hey, the other reason I want to do a part two version was because I only got through about 1/2 of the first version;~). I thought you guys and girls would like to hear the rest of the program.  I've scheduled it for NEXT TUESDAY - only 7 days away, so if you want to be sure you get a seat, you'll want to sign up right away!  As always, only the first 1,000 to register [link] will be guaranteed a seat at the program.

This time around I'll discuss several digital design projects that will put lots of money in your back pocket -right where it belongs.

Webcast Description:

Session 1:

I'll show you how your design projects can be used to bring a brand new excitement to your studio products.  Whether you're just getting started into business or in for the long haul, you've got to create client excitement and these designs will do just that! 

Session 2:

If you want the business, you've got to get referrals from your vendor buddies.  This session will show you exactly what you need to do to make that happen.  Part of the secret is in producing inexpensive digital products that your vendor buddies will LOVE to display in their shops.  I'll show you what designs work best and how to get your images displayed with the top vendors in your city!

Session 3:

Lumapix: FotoFusion in depth.  During the last presentation I just  scratched the surface of the power of Lumapix:Fotofusion.  In this session, I'll dig deeper under the hood of this fabulous design program, point out some of it's really powerful features including a few undocumented secrets as well. LaDawn, our chief designer, will be on hand to lend her insight into our design process.

Yes, You Can Still Purchase Lumapix:FotoFusion For Only $99 Bundled – check out the link right here!

That's right, we are extending the Super Special $99 pricing on Lumapix:FotoFusion. This will give you time to pick Lumapix up before the Webcast, test-drive it, and have your questions ready for my webcast.  Once again, here is the link.

Program Bonus!  I'll have my 3 Lumapix experts, LaDawn, Jennifer,  and Damien standing by to answer your questions "live" online!

Remember, Fast and Easy Digital Design - Part 2 is only 6 days away!  You'll need to register right away to be guaranteed a seat.  Be sure to spread the word, you don't want to miss this opportunity!

Once again we will be giving away over $1,200 in Door Prizes.  WOW!

Here is the list of the door prizes below:

• LumaPix:Fotofusion Extreme Software ($299) [link]
• NIK Color Efex Pro Software ($299) [link]
• Divine Design Collection for LumaPix ($199) [link]
• 2010 Digital WakeUp Call Success Collection ($89.00) [link]
• 2 - $50 Gift Cards from B&H [link]
• Graphic Authority "My Studio" Photoshop Templates ($99) [link]
• Captured By the Light Wedding Book ($54.95) [link]
• Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 For Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby ($49.99) [link]
• Canon 7D - From Snapshots To Great Shots  [link] ($24.99)

We will call the winner’s names during the webcast. Remember, you must be present to win.

It should be an informative, fun, exciting afternoon.  We will be able to accommodate up to 1,000 attendees, so sign up now! I hope to see you there.

Mark Your Calendars For

Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. EDT

(International GMT 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.)

Register Here!

Here are just a few more comments we received about Fast And Easy Digital Design - Part 1:

Dave and LaDawn - Awesome presentation as always!

Thank you so much for the Presentation; that was amazingly useful! I feel like i can tackle this now! Can't wait for next one! Philip G. - Florence SC

Thanks for a wealth of good information at a ‘steal of a deal’ price. Mark, A - Warren, MI

Mahalo nui ("thank you very much") for your fantastic webinar yesterday. I enjoyed it tremendously!  Lester S. - Hilo, Hawaii

Amazing webinar thanks from brazil. Pascal J. - Brazil

Love it, thanks from Montenegro :)  Aleksandar J. - Montenegro

Amazing! And thanks from Ukraine!  Van S. - Ukraine

___________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today.  I've got a meeting shortly and I'm spending the rest of the day fine tuning next week's webcast.  I want this presentation to "knock your socks off". 

Have a great one and I'll see you tomorrow for Technique Tuesday on Wednesday!

See ya' then!  -David

Wish List For Lightroom 4; Design Webcast 700 Strong, Don't Miss It; and Wireless Geeking Around

Good Morning Everybody,

I just received my USB booster cable and am planning to give it a try over the weekend.  I suspect it will work just fine.  After giving it some thought, I started wondering if anybody made a wireless USB adapter kit.  Wouldn't that be cool if I could just attach the USB transmitter to the camera and the USB receiver attached to the laptop with Lightroom 3 fired up on it.  One press of the camera, and presto, up on the screen the image would appear! I did a quick Google search and came up with a few options. 

The most promising option seemed to be the TruLink Wireless USB SuperBooster Extender for about $189.00 [link].  The specs said it had a 150 foot range and would work through walls.  Wow! This puppy looked like the answer to my dreams.  Also listed was a TruLink Wireless Adapter Kit [link] but the range was only listed as 30 feet maximum and that required direct line of sight. 

Uhmmm.... I gave tech support a call at Cables to Go and talked to Chris.  My terrific wireless idea was shot down pretty quickly.  The more expensive super booster model transmitted at a VERY SLOW USB 1.1 speed of 11 MB/sec. Right now with the direct cable connection to the computer it takes about 5-6 seconds before the image appears on the screen.  With this much slower connection, we both were expecting the worst.

You know, with Lightroom 3 offering such easy camera capture, this USB wireless idea seems like a good idea waiting to happen. Sure, the camera manufacturers have their wireless systems but those are fairly expensive solutions for the everyday photographer.  I’m sure something will pop up shortly, here's hoping.

Then I put my thinking cap on again. "Hey, if I shot JPEGs, the Super USB booster just might work.  I'm only trying to transmit about a 1 Meg file anyway." Now I have to decide if I want to shell out the bucks to give it a try. Maybe, maybe not, stay tuned ;~)

OK, enough of waxing fantastic over wireless shooting.  How about we get moving with today's post.

Over 700 Attendees Registered "Fast And Easy Album Design"

I  am completing the final preparations on my webcast, "Fast And Easy Album Design" today.  We have over 700 folks signed up for it already, so there are still plenty of seats avaialble.  Come on down and enjoy the show.  You can still REGISTER RIGHT HERE!

Remember, we are giving away over $1,000 in door prizes next Wednesday during the program.  

And I'll show you how you can get LumaPix: Fotofusion EXTREME, the absolute best software on the planet earth for creating collages and album pages for only $99.00 - it's $299 on line!!!

Oh,  by the way, the webcast is NOT software specific.  A lot of the webcast will be spent discussing the concepts we use in my studio to design albums, or any digital projects for that matter, that our clients love.  And part of the webcast will show you exactly how we design projects at my studio and the software we use to make the entire design process very fast and easy. I hope to see you there.

Lightroom 4 - Wish List Friday

Can you believe it - Lightroom 3 has been out for less than two weeks and already folks are publishing their wish lists for Lightroom 4.  Hey, count me in on that bandwagon.  I want to say again, that I am a BIG fan of Lightroom 3.  The more I play with it , the more I like it.  But that said, the more I wish it offered another feature or two.

So, today, after working (and playing around) with LR3, here is my list for what I'd like to see on the next version.

Hit The "Read More..." link below for the rest of the story.

My Top 7 Requests:

1.  Network connectivity: This is far and away the MOST IMPORTANT feature that needs to be implemented in the next version.  Everybody was really disappointed when the original LR1 came out.  Most of us expected LR2 to have it for sure - NOT!  And now LR3 is network neutered too. 

What gives? I mean, Adobe is using a internal database called SQLite and it has only single user access.  The fact that Lightroom 3 is not networkable may not turn off the occasional shooter, but those of us who run multiple workstations in our businesses want the networked version for sure!

Remember, next week - Technique Tuesday: "How to Jailbreak Lightroom 3 To Run On A Network."  Problem solved.

2.  The Blur Slider: We have the Clarity slider. How about a Gaussian Blur slider on the Adjustment brush? Right now we have a quick action set up in Photoshop where we can easily apply a Gaussian blur to an image and then paint detail back in certain areas with an attached layer mask.  It works great for our portraits. 

It seems like such a natural adjustment brush addition for Lightroom.  Just blur the image slightly then erase the areas you want to be sharp.  That would just mean one less trip over to Photoshop.

3. Clone Tool:  Are you guys and girls over the Spot Removal Tool yet.  It reminds me of a nearly identical implementation I saw in ProShots several years ago. But that was back in the film days when the digitally scanned images picked up dust during the scan process.  We used the ProShots Spot Removal Tool exactly the same way. 

This is the age of "digital miracles" in large part thanks to Adobe. It seems to me that turning the LR Spot Removal tool into a Cloning Brush would be an extremely useful feature to add to the program and be much less “clunky” than the Spot Removal tool. Hey Adobe, while you're at it, why not add a healing brush too ;~)

4. White Balance With A Bias: The current White Balance tool just leaves things too cool for me and I'm even a pretty cool guy ;~) OK, bad joke.  But when I do use the White Balance tool, I ALWAYS warm up the image just a bit.  I'm a wedding/portrait guy - I like my images a little warmer. 

Back in the film days, many of us always directed out labs to print deep and warm.  Wouldn't it be nice if Lightroom offered the option to warm up or cool down by a few degrees Kelvin in Preferences.    Be nice if we could save it as a Custom White Balance brush too.

5. Skin Balance Adjustment:  While I'm on the subject of custom white balance brushes,  I'd like to see a Skin Balance brush offered.  One of my favorite Photoshop plug-ins is iCorrect Portrait by PictoColor.  iCorrect Portrait does exactly that - it gives the user the choice to balance to a neutral tone or a flesh tone.  It even gives you the option of saving out several custom flesh tones. I love this feature and use it all the time when using iCorrect Portrait.  This feature really helps in hard to balance mixed lighting conditions.

6. Auto Tone With Bias:  I'm pretty happy with my Import Preset I mentioned recently in my Technique Tuesday episode entitled, "Lightroom 3 Secret Settings" [link]. But even though most of the images look good, I wish I could bias the Auto Tone result with a + or - contrast and fill light adjustment. Maybe I'm being picky since I know I can tweak the curves to get the same result.

7. Lightroom Lite For My iPad: Yep, that's my last request for the moment.  I'd like to see Lightroom Lite for the iPad.  Boy, that would be the perfect solution for tethered shooting right into the iPad.  Come on gang, what do you think, good idea?

You know, a few days ago I did try to shoot tethered into the iPad.  I took my iPad camera adapter, plugged it in, attached the cable to my Canon 7D, added an empty card and fired up the camera.  It was a giant NO-GO.  The camera kept saying "BUSY". I guess because the iPad was looking for the images on the card.  Anyway, Lightroom Lite could solve that problem;~)

______________________________________________________

Hey gang, that's it for me today.  I hope to see a few of you this weekend in Lexington at our KPPA Summer School. Remember to keep your pixels smilin' and I'll see you on Monday.

-David

Quick Hit Monday; New Canon 7D, Very Interesting Software, New Uses For The ExpoDisc, Book Update, and More

Good Morning Everybody,

After taking the “sardine red eye” flight back from Las Vegas and getting in on Sunday, late morning, we were wiped out. We still managed to get repacked for the East Coast leg of my Digital WakeUp Call Tour, catch the Cincinnati Bengals football win on TV, and are now ready and excited to go today.

This week we hit Boston, Hartford, New York – LaGuardia, and New Your – Manhattan. Come on down ;~)

Hey, before we hit the road, let’s get to a quick edition of Quick Hit Monday. Here we go…

Shooting Beautiful Lexy With The Westcott Halo

I was asked by my good friends at Westcott if I would do a booth demo for them during the Tech Expo at Photoshop World. The booth demos are always good fun so happily I said “yes.”

My model was beautiful Lexy, and we captured some great images. Westcott makes one of my favorite light modifiers in the world. It’s called a Halo. You can see me using it in the third shot below.

What I love about the Halo is that it is NOT a flat soft box like so many others available on the market. The convex shape of the Halo easily wraps light around the subject, bounces a little light on a added reflector for fill, and even spills some light on the background.

Oh, this sounds like this is turning into a Technique Tuesday post, so on that note, I’ll invite you to check out the Halo at Westcott’s site right here. It’s been my only light modifier choice when ever I’m shooting in the studio.

ExpoDisc Has More Than Just Still Camera Use

During the Tech Expo, we visited with my buddy John, at the Expo Imaging booth. I’ve been friends with the company and the owners for quite a number of years. Anyway, we got talking about things in general and John told me they have experienced quite a spike in sales of their ExpoDisc lately.

Here’s why. The ExposDisc [link] is an extremely close calibrated white balance tool that I’ve been using for years to get that perfect color balance on my shots. John says because of the the ExpoDisc’s critical calibration it has been rediscovered by photographers/videographers wanting the perfect color balance with the new still/video DSLR’s that have been hitting he market lately.

Hey gang, that’s good news. I’ll have to give it a try on my new Canon 7D.

Canon Canon 7D Just Arrived!!!

Yep, It was sitting on my desk when we arrived home and I couldn’t wait to open up that puppy. This post is by no means to give you my first impressions of the camera but, OK – I’ll give you just a few.

1. The low noise capabilities of the 7D far surpass that of the 50D, much closer to the noise characteristics of the Canon 5D. That’s not to say I don’t like my 50D, I just like “higher ISO” capable cameras.

2. I stumbled on this little button on the top left of the camera. It’s the RAW/JPG button. You set it up to shot whatever combination of RAW/JPG you want for your next shot.

(Image by PetaPixel)

I know that sounds confusing. Let me explain. These higher megabit cameras, the 7D is an 18 megapixel camera. That means a whole lot more “hard drive real estate” used up when shooting.

As a wedding photog, do I really need to expose every image – over 3000 images in my case - as a RAW file, probably not. Why not set the camera to shoot JPEG only on secondary images. Then when I need the RAW file for the main images, I just hit the new RAW/JPG button. Once pressed it will give me either/and or both image formats.

This clever little button may be the answer to the insanity of 50 gig jobs chewing up all our hard drive space for just one job. I’m just thinking “out loud”. Drop me some of your thoughts in the comments section below. Thx.

3. Unfortunately the 7D is not supported but the latest version of Lightroom, but that should be coming very soon so no big deal yet. The funny thing is that that my trusty latest version of Irfanview – about the best image viewer on the market (PC only) opens the images just fine.

BTW, here is the latest group of reviews on the Canon 7D right here.

Topaz – Software – Very Interesting

Topaz software was showing their very interesting suite of software at the show. I stood there for several minutes watching their magical demo. Here is the link to their site right here.

I’m a guy who likes to “fuss and fiddle” with my fine art images and Topaz appears to open the door to some very cool possibilities. They have 10 plug-ins in their entire suite. I didn’t get a chance to see all of them demo’d but their site does a pretty good job of introducing you to their products.

Not only that, but they are getting “RAVE” reviews all over the place. I’m planning to pick up a copy and give the Topaz plug-ins a run for the money. I’ll keep you posted.

My Wedding Book “Captured By The Light” – Update

I know many of you have pre-ordered my new book, Captured By The Light, due to release in the not to distant future. I got a chance to sit down with the Kelby Media guys and Peachpit and ask about the release date of the book. Amazon and Borders are both showing very late dates, but that’s kind of a “worse scenario” date.

Kelby Media tells me it’s on the front burner and it’s “pedal to the metal” to get it out the door. Then it’s over to Peachpit for printing – about another 6 week process. All that said, I’m hoping for a Christmas delivery. Boy, do I hope I’m guessing correctly. I don’t have much say over the matter but I will keep you posted.

Hey gang, that’s it for me today. We are heading to Boston in about 60 minutes. Hope to see a lot of DPT readers on the east coast leg of my DWUC tour – please come on up and say HI.

Over and out, David

Friday: Quick Hit Convention Picks

Good Morning Everybody,

I’m making this a quick post today – lots going on and too little time – here we go..

I just wrapped my 8:15 a.m. program, “Lightroom For Wedding Photographers”.  We had a decent crowd for that early morning wake up call and the program went well, that was until, I saw Adobe Lightroom Guru, Julieanne Kost in the back of the room.  She is like the best Lightroom guru in the world – and she was in the audience.

My knees went wobbly, my palms started to sweat, the mouse was jittering all over the keyboard – I was a mess.  OK, not really, but what an honor it was for her to sit in on my program.  BTW, you can catch some of the best Lightroom tutorials in the world over at Adobe TV right here.  Julieanne’s presentation and content is always top notch.  Go check it out – always good stuff.

Tech Expo Happenings

B&H is hosting their first ever Tech Expo theater this year.  I had the honor of presenting yesterday to a pretty darn full house. Thanks to all that attended.  You know even the Tech Expo is a great source of solid info for all that attend Photoshop World.  Julieanne Kost was presenting right next to me yesterday in the Adobe Theater.  The famous and always energetic Joe McNally was doing light demos in the Bogen booth. And that was just the tip of the iceberg – just ton's of good information, not to mention vendors, everywhere on the Tech Expo floor.

Metal Murals – A Cool Way To Show Off Your Images

We first ran into Metal Mural [link] a few years ago at the PPA Convention  in Tampa.  They offer one of the most unusual and equally impressive products for image display that I have ever seen.  Here is the link to their gallery page right here.

The print to metal and the finished product is striking.  I was talking with Pola who was giving us a tour of what they offer.  Turns out I just uploaded one of my images to Metal Mural and it will  be on display at my Digital WakwUp Call tour in Newark, NJ in about a week an a half. I can’t wait to see it.

A New Way To Balance Your Color

I ran into the good folks at Athentech Imaging yesterday. I first ran into them about 2 1/2 years ago at a WPPI convention.  They were showing the BETA of the Perfectly Clear technology which they were promoting as the best, fastest and easiest way to great color. 

I hadn’t seen then since, but yesterday there they were.  I said HI to Brad the owner and he brought me up to date with what they have been up to.  They are just days away from releasing their Photoshop plug-in and he promised to send me a copy.  I’ll keep you posted.

I’ll tell you, what ever technology they are using behind the secret door looks pretty cool.  You can find out more of what they are up to over at their web site right here.http://www.digitalwakeupcall.com/

What A Really Cool Web Site That’s Easy To Design Yourself?

I ran into my buddy and great photographer, David Jay late afternoon at the show.  His company, ShowIt Sites [link]is showing their second generation flash web sites. I’ve been following David as he has been developing this very innovative new way to web site design. I know I’m sketchy on this right now, but I’ll know more next week.  I’ll share more info then.

LaDawn’s HELP WANTED AD!

Hey gang -- LaDawn wanted me to put out the call for a volunteers who want to help for the next leg of the Digital WakeUp Call tour.  Starting October 5 she needs help in Boston 10/5, Hartford 10/6, NY-LaGuardia 10/7, and NY-Manhattan 10/8. Please email LaDawn at ladawn@ziser.com for additional times and information.

Hey gang, I’ve got to get back to the show.  I’m scheduled for a booth demo at Westcott at 1:00 p.m. and I want to take in some more of the show. Everybody have a great weekend and we’ll see you in Boston back on the Digital WakeUp Call tour trail on Monday.  -David