NoBs Digital Dogbowl
The NoBs Digital Dogbowl Newsletter:
Keeping you up to date and informed on the latest, coolest, and outrageous happenings inside the world of NoBS Photo Success.
Loaded with Free photography tips, Photoshop tutorials, photo reviews,
and other totally relevant essentials. Be sure to check out the whole thing!
Hungry for more? Visit our digital photography forum.
April 2009 Digital Dogbowl
A NoBS Primer For The Newbie
When you are the new kid on the block here at NoBS, it can be quite overwhelming trying to find your way around or even knowing where to start. That's a good thing in these parts. Why? Well, you are getting your money's worth and more because of the wealth of information and downloads that come with the membership. Given this plethora of information, we know that it can be like walking into a candy shop; so many goodies to choose from and no idea where to start, right? With that in mind, we thought we'd share a NoBS Primer compiled especially for you by NoBS techie, moderator, and photographer extraordinaire, Riff (Shawn Von Ins). This delightful guide IS for the faint of heart who need some gentle guidance into the big, wide, world we know as NoBS Photo Success.
To follow the yellow brick road, click here.
NoBS Member/Photo of the Month: Andy Armstrong
In the 4th grade, I told my parents I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I have drawn as long as I can remember. In college, I worked for the daily newspaper drawing a political cartoon and a comic strip five days a week. I've worked as a special products designer (designing packaging and product) for close to ten years, but I still find myself disastified with what I draw or paint - I just can't get the whole idea from my brain to the paper.
At Christmas in 2003 (after tinkering with my brothers Sony), I bought myself a Sony F717, and I immediately fell in love with photography. It had a Carl Zeiss lens and a manual setting, so I learned everything I could about photography. With my photoshop skills, I could finally show everyone the exact image I had in my head.
What Would You Do? Fighting the Price Shopping Mentality
Beware: price shoppers are on the loose. If you are still trying to establish your business this can become a troublesome issue. Think about it. People don't know who you are wary of plunking down wads of cash to try out someone who is "untested". So, in order to get bodies in the door, you offer ridiculously cheap and sometimes, maybe even free, services just to get them to try you out. It's a great way to build your portfolio, but If not done properly, this can backfire. You will be known as the cheap photographer and people will resist paying higher prices.
So, for NoBS member, Rene S., this has indeed become an issue. Here's an excerpt from a recent post of his:
"What do you do to not compete on price when the ONLY thing people are interested in is the PRICE.
No matter how much I talk to them, or inform them all say the same thing. I would not pay that much for pictures.
So I guess I am the expensive guy on the block or something lol and what I charge most of you would consider cheap."
If this scenario sounds familiar, then you can't afford not to read Rene's post. This is a must-read thread given the economic unrest in the world and some good advice on ways to overcome these types of obstacles was given by fellow NoBS members.
Rene also touched upon some other issues and doubts he is experiencing as he tries to make his way through the maze of professional photography. He received very sound advice from the NoBS veterans, which you can see in his original post.
Rob Goes On Tour
Rob Provencher recently kicked off his workshop tour across Canada. If you are looking for motivation and rejuvenation in your photographic business, then you need to high tail it over there. Are you serious about your success in your photography business? Do you have compelling goals? Do you want to grow your photography studio business? Are you dedicated? If you answered yes to any one of these questions then you need to attend this workshop. For tour details, dates, and locations, go to this link.
NoBS Interview: Steve Harrington
 |
with Expert Steve Harrington
 of VTalkRadio Photography Spotlight  Sponsor www.nobsphotosuccess.com  Read Transcript  Play Show  |
 |
More Than One Way To Skin A Cat
No need to call PETA. We're actually talking about batch resizing landscape and portrait images at the same time in Photoshop. Both Riff and Bill Guy offered a couple of different ways to achieve the same goal. To read how these pros do it, go here.
Capturing The Elusive Toddler
If you have children of your own or photograph other people's children, you know just how difficult it can be to get a toddler to focus their attention on you and stay somewhat stationery for photos. Well, straight to us comes a wonderful MacGyver-esque solution from NoBS member, photaphreak.
"Here is the directions for my super-duper simple and classic bnw set up and the great expression-getter game that I love for toddlers indoors. The white shirt acted as a lower reflector and totally sucks!!! Caution: no white shirts
Ingredients:
*One BNW setting- in camera.
*Three setting adjustments of f3.5/125, WB400 (the speed obviously depending on how fast the child is).
*One Main light- natural window light from large glass doors or windows (about 2 ft directly in front).
*One fill light left- 6ft high white Styrofoam reflector shaped into a V (I use my favoritest-ghetto $11 wall insulation foam core sheet from Lowes, cut in half and taped back together to form an open/closable V shape).
*One background- medium toned paper roll- any color is fine/or whatever you have handy.
*One squared off section of the floor, about 3x3, made with painters tape.
*Two adults the child knows well.
* One imaginary Aligators In The Water game."
If you would like to read the rest of the directions, you must be a member. Click here to get the down low on what comes next.
The Coolest Camera Strap
Tired of wearing that heavy camera around your neck, especially after eight hours at a wedding? The Black Rapid camera strap was rolled out in Las Vegas at WPPI this year, and it is truly innovating. You wear this strap over your shoulder and the camera travels along the strap. When you're not using the camera, it rests down by your hip so you have both hands free. They've even got a system that enables you to wear two of them at once. Check out their website for the details.
Here's a NoBS member who needs no introduction. This month Rob interviews Sandy Puc', one of the foremost children's photographer in the United States. She's got a lot of good information to share, so don't miss this special interview.
Beginning May 1 until May 14, Animoto will be offering NoBS members one free month when they sign up for a full year subscription to the business account. What's so great about this? Well, Animoto recently unveiled their "White Label" service. This means that the Animoto logo will not appear anywhere on your slideshows. To get to the NoBS discount code, go to this page.
NoBS Moderator, Allen, recently made some minor tweaks to the forum to allow members to choose whether or not mature content (i.e.- nude images) can be visible in the sidebar. If you would like to know how to use this new feature, simply go to this NoBS link.
Did You Know?
Each month you can find smarticles written by Rob Provencher and James Hodgins over at smartshooter.com. This month, James writes about using four lights on one model and Rob shares his secrets to newborn photography. Don't miss these must-read articles; they are jam packed with information.
It is frightening how many more different ways are available for us to expose/market ourselves on the information highway. Add to that list the unbelievably popular site Twitter. Twitter is a simple program that allows you to "update" your followers (friends, family, etc.) on your every waking move. NoBS members debated the actual value of tweeting in this thread. So, do you tweet?
If you are in need of a new or just really cool backdrop, NoBS vendor Silverlake occasionally offers amazing deals for group buys on their backdrops. Keep your eyes peeled for posts regarding monthly group buys and for the chance to vote on which backdrops will be offered. This month, members were able to get in on special discounts for Silverlake's Phoenix, Cranberry, and Vanilla Bean backdrops.
Wordpress Tutorials Available
If you are new to Wordpress, there's good news here for you. NoBS member, Kyle, has reposted his video tutorials for Wordpress. If you like to see the link, go to this NoBS thread .
NoBS member, Darkhunny, recently posted a question on layers and masks. NoBS retouching guru, Mike Long, came to the rescue with an explanation for him. To read the explanation and see the results, click here.
Here's another great behind-the-scenes video in which Rob gives us a peak of him at work shooting a headshot for the artistic director of his local theatre. To see this video, click here.
DTownTV is sponsored by Nikon ® and produced by Kelby Training. DTownTV is a fresh approach to teaching camera tips and photographic techniques to today's digital photographers. No matter what skill level or interest, each episode covers a wide range of topics.