September 2009: Master Photo Newsletter

We’ve been working hard to get the latest releases out as soon as possible and almost missed the

Field techniques for great pictures.

New England Color

September newsletter!

Just released is the new title “New England Color – Field Techniques for Great Pictures”. Join master photographer Jim Zuckerman as he photographs New England in autumn. This area offers a variety of historic locations from the lighthouses of Maine to classic churches and cemeteries in Massachusetts. Shooting in a variety of lighting conditions from sunrise to sunset, Jim is faced with the challenges every outdoor photographer encounters. With over 40 years experience as a professional photographer, Jim Zuckerman shares a wealth of photo tips, tricks, and experience from the field.

On disc two, Jim takes his work back into the studio to show some of his favorite photoshop techniques. The lessons include correcting perspective, creating reflections, and compositing a moon. Jim then reviews an extensive portfolio of some of his most challenging photographs, describing the technical and logistical obstacles he overcame to capture some of his favorite and most enduring pictures.

Take a look at some of the images Jim captured for the program and some free video tips.

Artistry Crew

Shooting at Magnolia Gardens

Due out late October is a new release from Tony Sweet titled “Visual Artistry: The Art of Pre-Visualizing in Modern Digital Photography.

Shot during the springtime in Charleston, South Carolina, Tony covers some of his all-time favorite locations from Magnolia Gardens to historic Charleston. We also see how Tony uses creative post processing techniques to enhance his pictures to create a one-of-a-kind look.

Some of the digital processes include High Dynamic Range, Photomerge Stitch Pans, Digital Sandwiching, and Infrared. This program runs more than 3 1/2 hours and is packed with advice on composition, exposure, and creative techniques.

Artistry Crew

Working the scene at Drayton Hall

We are sure this program will help take your photography to the next level and be as useful as Tony’s previous title, “Visual Literacy“. We have even started plans to shoot a program featuring Tony’s flower photography next spring!

Currently in production is a program with photographer Adam Barker. Many know Barker for his inspiring landscape work. Enamored with golden light and unforgettable vistas, his landscapes have sold as limited edition fine art prints to private and corporate collectors throughout the United States. His love affair with exceptional imagery has translated into stirring editorial work in skiing, fly fishing and numerous other lifestyle and adventure publications. In addition, Barker is also frequently sought after by commercial clients seeking imagery that conveys a strong sense of place, product and lifestyle.



More Reviews...

Completing Your Outdoor Photography – Review

Landscape Photography at its best!, April 5, 2010

Completing Your Outdoor Photography with Landscape Filters DVD video is really informative! This package contains 2 DVD, one for the field and one for the studio. The field trips takes you along on 7 separate photo shoot each having Adam Barker illustrating the use of various filters into your shooting. All photo shoots are very scenic and Adams illustrates many techniques to improve your shooting in the field, just like a pro. This is an awesome video. You will enjoy watching it time and time again. Many of us may never go to these locations but through this excellent DVD we can visit there with Adam and learn his techniques.

Completing Your Outdoor Photography – Review

Easily understood and presented, June 3, 2010

For me, I am a visual person who needs to see how things work to fully understand their benefits. Mr. Barker presents that wonderfully in this instructional video, especially in regard to how filters work and their added benefits. Furthermore, how a dynamic image is tamed by use of a filter and without is demonstrated with photos to show the real gains. For the money, it is worth it to watch the film to see if investing in filters is worth the expense to you. If you already have filters, then this is a great how-to video on how to use them properly.

Like sitting side-by-side with a master – Photoshop Guru Review

D. Parker

It’s like sitting side-by-side with a master while he works, April 29, 2010

Amazing, absolutely amazing. If you’ve ever wanted to look over the shoulder of a master photographer in his “lab”, this is your chance.

Jim moves these projects along at a perfect pace, explaining the how’s and why’s as he goes. He has a real easy going style and is very articulate. As someone said earlier, you can watch these videos over and over again.

I also purchased Jim’s “Dazzling Photoshop” video, and feel the same about it. In that DVD, he emphasizes particular photo projects with the way he groups the lessons, rather than by different skills as in this one. Both are packed with information and technique.

While these videos are not specific to any particular version of Photoshop, they are geared somewhat toward the most recent versions up to CS4 — I can hardly wait to see what Jim does with CS5!

Tell a Photographic Story – Every Picture Tells a Story review

By C. Calder – April 24, 2010

Steve Kossack’s “Every Picture Tells A Story” is an excellent photography workshop DVD that will help your photography move to the next level. Steve is very enthusiastic about his subject and his approach is to help you analyze your surroundings in regard to light and composition–to tell a story! He suggests making many shots, with and without image enhancers and to vary the shots which will increases the possibility you will get the shot you want.

He is full of many, many tid-bits that will enable you to critique your own approach. An important concept he emphasizes is the idea that when you plan and go on a shoot, the conditions you wind up with may not be what wanted…, so you must adjust to the conditions you are presented with. He is filled with many ideas and shares them with the viewer. He analyzes every shot he makes and takes you through his thought process in arriving at the point to make the shot. Changing the angle, including debris and other vegetation helps you to tell the story.

I own works by Zuckerman, Sweet, Reichmann, Cooper, Smith, Barker and many others. Each photographer approaches the subject different but is filled with knowledge as a result of their many years of experience to share with the viewer. I enjoyed Kossack’s workshop DVD and have watched it many times. You will come away with many new ideas to include in your next photo shoot. Well worth the money!!!

He is full of many, many tid-bits that will enable you to critique your own approach. An important concept he emphasizes is the idea that when you plan and go on a shoot, the conditions you wind up with may not be what wanted…, so you must adjust to the conditions you are presented with. He is filled with many ideas and shares them with the viewer. He analyzes every shot he makes and takes you through his thought process in arriving at the point to make the shot. Changing the angle, including debris and other vegetation helps you to tell the story.

I own works by Zuckerman, Sweet, Reichmann, Cooper, Smith, Barker and many others. Each photographer approaches the subject different but is filled with knowledge as a result of their many years of experience to share with the viewer. I enjoyed Kossack’s workshop DVD and have watched it many times. You will come away with many new ideas to include in your next photo shoot. Well worth the money!!!

Photoshop Workshop – Photoshop Guru Review

By C. Calder – April 23, 2010

Be A Photoshop Guru DVD is very informative and rewarding. He makes working with Photoshop® simple and easy to understand. His approach is straight forward step by step and he reveals his thought process as he attempts difference approaches to solve a problem. Layers, selecting just certain parts of the photo, coping to scratch pad, replacing the sky or a background, adding the moon to a scene and much more are covered in good detail. I recommend it to highly.
He presents important concepts used in Photoshop® rather than just a bunch of steps. Although, there are steps there, but if you don’t understand the concepts, you will probably forget the steps. I did take notes to refer to later. I think of his DVD as a shorthand approach to many of the tools that I want to master. Not all of us spend 8 hours a day in front of Photoshop® so it’s nice to see a fresh practical approach to solving routine problems.