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.
August 2008 Digital Dogbowl
They're Baack! A Dog Bowl Recap and What's Ahead
As you all know, the fearless leaders of NoBS have returned from their month-long sabbatical to Alaska via motorcycle. In case you missed hearing about the adventure, Rob and James shared their journey with us in their blog.
Along the way, they met many unique individuals and bears, and they had a chance to recharge their creative batteries. Upon their return, James and Rob headed off to the Niagara School of Imaging to do their week-long seminar in photography and marketing/businesss techniques. From the looks of images from attendees such as NoBS member Rene, NSI was a complete success. Some great new videos from NSI are now available for NoBS members to view courtesy of Rob and James.
A new vendor is also now on board for NoBS members. Camera store Dury's, which is located in Nashville, TN, has joined the NoBS vendor family.
But wait! There's more! Also, awaiting NoBS members are some impending changes and great updates to the NoBS Photo Success forum. More videos and tutorials will be added to the video vault, including footage from past Infernos. All of these latest changes promise to make NoBS an even more valuable tool in the professional photographer's arsenal.
And just in case you can't get enough of the dynamic duo, the Dog Bowl titans can also now be seen regularly at another amazing photography website. They will be contributing monthly articles to smartshooter.com.
Inferno 2008: Get In On The Action While You Can
Believe it or not, spaces are filling up quickly for the 2008 NoBS Members' Only Inferno. As previously mentioned, the Inferno will be held in Nashville, Tennessee at the Hotel Preston from November 3-5, 2008. There will be space for a maximum of 200 participants. If you act now and sign up, you can still get in on the early bird price of $147, which by today's standard is a steal for a seminar jam packed with information. This three-day seminar is valued at nearly $800.
You will have the opportunity to learn from some of the best photographers in the industry who all happen to be NoBS members as well. Speakers will include Marilyn Sholin, Steve and Shelley Harrington, Mama Shan, Andy Armstrong, Robert Provencher, and James Hodgins.
So what's your excuse for not taking advantage of this opportunity? For more information and registration information, go to this link .
Layers
Layers, they are great in cakes, the earth crust and Photoshop. As we know since Photoshop 3 we have been able to build our images using layers which are overlaid on top of a base image. This can be photo, or even blank with smaller sections made up of images, adjustment layers or text.
Photo/Member of the Month
You may be scratching your head wondering if you read that title correctly (or maybe you didn't notice?!?). But, here at the Dog Bowl, we like to shake things up a bit. We thought we'd try combining the photo of the month with member of the month. This month, our first combination winner is NoBS member, combine pilot, otherwise known by his birth name of Warne.
What Would You Do? Problem Photo Shoot
A NoBS member recently posted his frustrating experience with exposure, white balance, and jpeg vs. raw. Many members chimed in to give him great feedback and advice. Armed with this helpful information, the member was able to drastically improve his images within a very short period of time. To read the thread and see what advice he received, go here.
Inferno 2008 Update: Speaker Added
Our very own top poster, Kris Gay, will be presenting a marketing talk at this year's Inferno on reaching the high school music and marching band segment. As she thoroughly illustrated in a recent post, this is a lucrative market that normally goes ignored when it comes time for group and individual pictures. It's a huge opportunity and Kris will show NoBS attendees how to approach them and win their business.
More Video: Fireman Photo Shoot at NSI
Afraid to use off camera flash? It's not that difficult and you don't need to haul a trunk full of heavy lighting equipment. With a couple of small flashes, lightstands, and pocket wizards, you too can achieve this look. Want to see how James does OCF lighting? Check out this video where he demonstrates his techniques to NSI students.
Update On Copyright Infringement Case
Last month, some of you will recall that NoBS member, Amy, discovered that a local newspaper had been publishing her work without giving her studio proper credit. Well, we are pleased to report that thanks to PPA's intervention, Amy received over $64,000 in damages from the newspaper. To read the thread and how it progressed, click here.
This One's For iPhone Users
Admittedly, there are many people who don't bow and worship at the altar of Apple. But, no one will hold that against you. In fact, you don't have to be an Apple user to enjoy their golden child, the iPhone. You've heard about all the bells and whistles on this baby, but now they've got some especially useful applications for photographers.
One such application is PhotoCalc. This relatively cheap (US$2.99) application allows you to calculate exposure reciprocation, depth of field, flash exposure, and it also tells you sunset and sunrise times. It even has a handy reference guide for such things as filters, the sunny 16 rule, film, and the zone system.
To check out the different applications available for photographers on the iPhone, go to the iTunes store.
Is Your Family Supportive Of Your Career Choice?
Recently, a NoBS member shared their frustration over lack of support from their spouse with respect to their decision to pursue a not-so-traditional career choice of being a professional photographer. It's a road that many have traveled and several NoBS members chimed in with their own experiences and how they overcame their family's objections. Read more here .
Your Photography CAN Take You Places
Yes, we all know that photography can bring in the $, at least, you SHOULD know this by now, but it can also take you places. I do travel alot for photography assignments, but my photography and my words have paid off in a whole different way. You might have read my article I wrote this spring about our sailing trip to the British Virgin Islands (Sailing To Shoveling In 24hrs) if you have not, click the link to read the pdf version. It was very simple to do, I just wrote it like a journal, talking about each day, what we did, where we sailed, who we met. I accompanied this text with my images I took during the trip and fired them off to 2 people. 1 was Gabi so she could fix allllll me speling and gramor errors. :) The other was my friend Jason who is a graphic designer. I had him layout the text with images in a 2 page spread in pdf format. Why? Because I could send this PDF to other websites, people, magazines quickly. They also get to see how it could possibly look (more impact).
The catamaran owners use this for one of their reviews (I really wanted todo this as a favor to them) but they also sent it out to boating magazines. Now this is where it pays off. One magazine is now publishing the article (with their own layout) and it's a big deal in the sailing industry. How does this pay off for me? Well, my wife and I get a free trip on the catamaran. This is worth over a few thousand $'s, and is something that we will be taking advantage of. So, for something that didn't take me long to do, and with little hassle, ended up paying off in a different way.
I also wrote another article about my assignment in Mexico, and had my friend do the layouts for that as well. A few magazines are interested in this one as well. You can view the RAW version HERE and see the finished layout HERE
If your on a photo excursion, write about it, write like your talking to someone across the table at a coffee shop. It's great material for your blog, your website, and it just might pay off in the long run.
If you've ever looked for Photoshop video tutorials on YouTube, you've no doubt had the pleasure at one point or another of running across one of Mama Shan's tutorials. She truly is a Renaissance lady, not only does she share her Photoshop knowledge with the masses, she also has created a number of extremely useful actions. Alongside her Photoshop endeavors, she also runs a studio with her daughter. This month, Rob brings us a delightfully entertaining interview with Mama Shan. To hear the interview, click here.
NoBS moderator and design|house creator, Andy Armstrong, recently rolled out an extensive collection of card templates and magazine covers for professional photographers. As usual, NoBS members receive special pricing. Details are available in the vendor section of the forum. To see the latest products, go to the design|house website.
Are You A New Member?
New member or not, you must get thee to the nearest quiet corner and watch The Big Kahuna. Don't know what or who that is? (No, it's not some big Polynesian dude dancing with fire) It's the collection of instructional videos that as a NoBS member you can enjoy to your heart's delight. If you haven't seen them, here's the link.
Much debate has been going on about whether having a flash site is a hindrance to SEO (search engine optimization). The common thought lately is that html is more conducive.
However, NoBS member Rob O. recently explained why that may not necessarily be true. To read his explanation,
How many times have you seen really bad business head shots and thought you could do better? Well, NoBS member Soup has issued a challenge to any and all takers. Go to five businesses, one each day, and tell them why you would do a better job and why they should hire you. To read about this challenge in more detail go here.
Here James shares how he got this dramatic bride shot at his recent NSI seminar. To enjoy this video, click here.
Coming soon for NoBS members will be a NoBS YouTube channel. The plan is to establish this as a private channel for NoBS members to post their own videos and tutorials. James and Shawn are currently working on getting this set up and more info will be forthcoming.
Recently posted by James, Lumapix is offering an amazing group buy on their FotoFusion Extreme software for NoBS members who act before September 12. To read more about this great deal, go to this NoBS link.
Another Studio In Progress
NoBS member, Riff, aka Shawn, has been in the throes of studio construction this summer. He has graciously shared the progress on his studio with the NoBS gang. To see it click here.
One of the most important things you can do to set yourself apart at weddings from the Uncle Bob's with a camera is to get the shots no one else can. A great example of this was in the thread started by Riff, Cool Camera Angle . Riff demonstrated how he set up his camera on a monopod and held it up to get some far out perspectives.
Are you in need of ideas for a successful Halloween promotion? Check out this Halloween promotion thread.
It's that time of year again, where our clients are clammering for the perfect holiday cards. design|house™ is now offering a full line of folding greeting card templates!