Tag: Outdoor Photo Gear

Heat 3 Smart Gloves now available at Outdoor Photo Gear

Heat 3 Winter Gloves
Heat 3 Winter Gloves

I was in the Outdoor Photo Gear warehouse this week and saw these Heat 3 Smart Gloves for the first time. They just looked like another pair of mittens until Chris Klapheke started showing me their many ingenious features. The first thing he showed me was the way the mitten opened up to reveal an inner glove that allows maximum dexterity while still providing protection from the elements. The finger cover also incorporates a pocket that covers the fingers and accepts chemical hand warmers. The inner glove has conductive pads on the index finger and thumb that allow use of phones, iPads , etc. The goat leather palm provides a good grip and durability.

As a photographer I could see that these Heat 3 Smart Gloves would be fantastic when shooting in winter. Beyond that they are also adaptable to many other outdoor activities, hiking, motorcycling and hunting come to mind.

Outdoor Photo Gear is also running a 12% off sale until Dec 14 on these gloves and everything else in their warehouse. Use the coupon code GIFT 12 and grab these gloves for yourself or that special someone you want to stay warm and toasty while braving the elements.

 

Silent Sunday

Into the Mist
Into the Mist

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Memo From the Department of Shameless Self Promotion

I am still accepting participants for my next HDR Workshop on May 17-18, 2013 here in Louisville. The last session was a great success; the participants all felt that it was time well spent and were applying the things they learned the next day. Here’s a link to the sign up page at Outdoor Photo Gear.

http://outdoorphotogear.ticketleap.com/using-hdr-photography/

 

 

“Using HDR Photography to Create Your Own Personal Style” Workshop Scheduled

Alabama Morning #3
Alabama Morning #3

The link below will take you to the registration page for this session.

http://outdoorphotogear.ticketleap.com/using-hdr-photography/

I will be conducting a workshop  “Using HDR Photography to Create Your Own Personal Style” at Outdoor Photo Gear’s classroom facility May 17 and 18 here in Louisville, KY.

In this workshop, I will cover the techniques and tools that are needed to enter the fantastic world of High Dynamic Range photographs, and how to give those images your own personal style.

Workshop times are Friday May 17 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM and Saturday May 18 from 9:00am – 5:30 pm.

I will be teaching workshop attendees how to use the powerful NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 software as well as other NIK plugins for Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture 3 to create HDR images that range from Hyper Realistic and Super Saturated to pleasing realistic photos. This small group workshop will be extremely hands on, and each attendee will leave understanding the key elements of processing HDR images to create their own style.

Combining Different Maker’s Software

Big Four Lighting #1
Big Four Lighting #1

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Last night I was playing around with some images I shot last week from the Big Four Bridge at sunset. I was intrigued by the patterns that the lights cast on the deck and how they contrasted with the somber sky above. The images were all created from three frame bracket sets of, -2, 0, +2 Exposure Values. The artificial lights on the ramp were set to red and I thought I would experiment with the resulting photos after merging and tone mapping them in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2.  For this image I took the HDR image into Aperture 3 and adjusted several sliders in the exposure, enhance and sharpening panels before loading it into OnOne Perfect Effects where I added a vignette. The OnOne suite is another iceberg that I have barely seen the tip of; the range of effects that are available and the ability to combine them in layers within the software leads to an infinite range of looks to explore. Anything you build up in the layers can be exported as a custom preset which you can then apply to similar images and get consistent results.

Big Four Lighting #2
Big Four Lighting #2

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 This image is another HDR that I merged in NIK HDR Efex Pro 2. I was pleasantly surprised by how the colors of the red lights combined with the silvery blue of the overhead LED lights to create such an incredible color palette. I kept the anti-ghosting set at 20%  which allowed the fast moving clouds to soften and blur as well as keeping the lone runner on the bridge in a state of motion too. I used Photoshop CS5 to do some lens correction and straightening to the image before finishing it with Aperture 3.

Big Four Lighting #3
Big Four Lighting #3

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This image too is a three frame HDR but in this case I stayed within NIK HDR Efex Pro 2 to enhance and play around with the colors before taking it into Aperture 3 where I further altered them with the Vibrance slider. After that I simply sharpened the image and adjusted the horizon using the straighten tool in Aperture 3.

Big Four Lighting #4
Big Four Lighting #4

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This final image is also an HDR with some OnOne adjustments and final finishing in Aperture 3. I’m beginning to discover more and more ways that combining different software from different makers can open more avenues of expression in my photography.

On a similar note there seems to be a price war going on right now between the software makers, NIK has some incredible pricing like their entire Suite for $149.00, you can add in a 15% additional discount if you use the discount code MOATS at checkout. OnOne is having a spring sale at 40% off; you can see what they are offering by clicking on the OnOne Banner in the sidebar on this page. Topaz hasn’t announced anything yet but I suspect they will be joining in on this discount war soon. There is also a link for Topaz in the sidebar. I am an affiliate for OnOne and Topaz so clicking on the banners allows me to earn a small commission should you decide to order anything.

One more plug here is for my good friends at Outdoor Photo Gear whose banner is also in the sidebar. These guys and gals are the friendliest and most knowledgable photo gear suppliers I have ever done business with. They run specials all the time and I would recommend you take a look at their site too.

 

Outdoor Photo Gear’s SmugMug Event

Outdoor Photo Gear's New Store in Louisville, KY
Outdoor Photo Gear’s New Store in Louisville, KY

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending a SmugMug Meeting at Outdoor Photo Gear’s new location here in Louisville. When OPG decided to move this year one of Chris Klapheke’s plans for the new OPG location was a classroom space that could be utilized by guest speakers, workshop presenters and local photography clubs.

Tonight OPG hosted their first event in the new store with a SmugMug presentation by well known macro photographer Mike Moats who gave a talk on the business of being a nature photographer. Also in attendance and sharing his business insights was Greg Schern founder of Gura Gear camera backpacks and other camera gear storage and protection gear. Both men spoke about how much they enjoyed their business and the way it allowed them to support themselves while being part of the photographic community.

The turnout was very large, well over sixty people attended, and the space was well received by all in attendance. The staff of OPG made everyone feel at home and assisted in making sure that everything went off without a hitch. In addition Greg of Gura Gear gave away several door prizes including their new “Tembo” memory card wallets. The name Tembo came about because it means elephant in Africa and as Dr. Seuss said “an elephant never forgets” which fits perfectly for the memory card wallet.

Next Friday, March 15, OPG will be hosting an open house to share their new location with the public. If tonight is any indication the event will be a great success and further cement OPG’s commitment to serve the photographic community.

Here are links to OPG, Gura Gear and Mike Moats websites.

Outdoor Photo Gear

http://www.outdoorphotogear.com/store/

Gura Gear

http://www.guragear.com/

Mike Moats

http://www.mikemoatsblog.com/

SmugMug

http://www.smugmug.com/