Free Desktop Calendar – April
My free monthly desktop calendar for April features an image from Iceland.
Download it here.
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Mobile Retouching Wizardry At Your Fingertips With App Touch Retouch
The iPhone app Touch Retouch performs the kind of stunning magic that first appeared in Adobe Photoshop only a few years ago. Adobe introduced this type of instant retouching based on pattern recognition under the name of Content Aware Fill. Now a similar technology is available for smartphone photography. You can also use the Clone Stamp tool to copy specific information from one part of an image to another, either to cover over an unwanted element or duplicate it.
With a little practice, you’ll start seeing photographs that you once might have ignored or passed by because of minor imperfections, which can now be convincingly removed in instants with the tap of your fingers. (It’s great for filling in the gaps in panoramic stitches too.)
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Matthais Grunewald – Acknowledging The Beatific & The Demonic
Despite a challenging relationship with the church, I still find the content in the Bible and the good acts it inspires extremely inspiring. I had strong spiritual feelings as a very young child and they’re still with me today. Many works of art inspired me, none more than Matthais Grunewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece. It’s a complex masterpiece. Two panels in particular mean a great deal to me. The Resurrection epitomizes the word beatific – transcendently wise, compassionate, and fulfilled. The Temptation of St Anthony is a riveting portrayal of a supreme test of that state and how it can survive and even be strengthened by confrontations with the darkest negativities.
I see images like Grunewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece and I feel called to try and rise to some small measure of this greater state of being. Achieving this depth of perspective and strength of expression is a primary goal of my life/art. For me, making art is a call to learn and put that learning into practice.
Recent iPhone Photographs
Smart phone photography is a great way to stimulate your creativity and explore different ways of thinking visually. On a recent road trip I collected many images during moments in between events. I consider these experiments or sketches rather than finished images but the discoveries I make images more casually clearly inform the finished images I make. Simply playing visually helps me become more versatile. And it’s fun!
What role does smart phone photography play in your creative process?
Find my iPhone photography resources here.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.
PhotoShelter's Guide To Selling Fine Art Photography
There is no definitive guide to selling fine art but this one offers useful advice from diverse perspectives.
“Packed with actionable tips, Selling Fine Art Photography delivers rare insights into what it takes to sell photography in galleries and online. Experts weigh the pros and cons of online versus offline galleries and suggest how to get noticed by each, how to use in-person events and social media to your marketing advantage, and different ways to maximize your website to generate business. This guide provides an in-depth look at how several photographers found their way into the fine art world and determined what can sell, how to price and market their work, and what printing methods serve them best.”
Find Photoshelter’s free guide Selling Find Art Photography here
Arthur Meyerson's Favorite Quotes
Arthur Meyerson shares his favorite quotes.
This one’s my favorite from his selection.
” … you’re either defined by the medium or you redefine the medium in terms of your needs.” – Duane Michals
Which is your favorite?
Read his collection of quotes here.
Read his quick Q&A here.
Read our extended conversation here.
Visit Arthur Meyerson’s website here.
5 New Photoshop CS6 Demo Videos – Colin Smith
Colin Smith demos new features of Photoshop CS6 beta in these 5 videos.
Plus Colin shares even more insights at Photoshop Cafe.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.
Green Action – Plant A Tree
Be more green!
You can make a difference today!
Make many small changes to make one big change!
And you’ll save a lot!
Take action now!
Here’s one idea.
Plant a Tree!
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese Proverb
It’s Spring, a time of growth and renewal. From fruit trees to maples here in Maine spring is a wonderful time for planting and preparing for future harvests.
Following that thought there are two green holiday’s during this proliferate month of April. National Arbor Day, April 27, a day that celebrates the planting of trees and of course, Earth Day celebrated this year on April 22.
Why plant trees? We all know that trees help us breathe. Trees remove 100 to 120 billion tons of carbon each year from man-made sources. They use the carbon dioxide that we release into the atmosphere and store it for energy. They release oxygen into the atmosphere and filter pollutants. Mature trees can absorb roughly 48 pounds of CO2 a year. The tree in turn releases enough oxygen to sustain two human beings. They filter rain water and reduce topsoil runoff. The USDA reports that 100 mature trees can reduce runoff caused by rainfall by up to 100,000 gallons! Water originating in our national forests provides drinking water for over 3400 communities, and approximately 60 million individuals.
Trees provide a windbreak for your home in the winter, shade and cool your home in the summer and provide shade and cool the environment in our cities. The shade and wind buffering provided by trees reduces annual heating and cooling costs by 2.1 billion dollars. They also provide an eco system for birds, bees, and assorted local fauna.
The more trees the cleaner the air, the cooler the planet, the cleaner the water, the healthier the planet
This makes perfect green sense.
Get ten free trees here.
Find carbon credits here.
Donate a tree here.
Find more resources that will help you take action now here.
Find environmental organizations to support here.
Poetry Animated – Billy Collins
“Combining dry wit with artistic depth, Billy Collins shares a project in which several of his poems were turned into delightful animated films in a collaboration with Sundance Channel. Five of them are included in this wonderfully entertaining and moving talk — and don’t miss the hilarious final poem! A two-term U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins captures readers with his understated wit, profound insight — and a sense of being ‘hospitable.'”
View more creativity videos here.
Adobe Photoshop CS6 Public Beta – 6 Sneak Peeks – 5 Gurus' 6 Favorite Features
Adobe Photoshop CS6 Public Beta is now available as a free download.
Download it here today.
You can use it to get used to the new interface and features and decide whether/when to upgrade.You don’t need a lot of reasons to upgrade, you only need one, significantly better shadow and highlight rendition during Raw conversion.
Plus see some of the new magic in these 6 Sneak Peeks and 5 Gurus’ 6 Favorite Features.
I’ve collected all 11 videos in this post.
Read More