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I Use – Opteka HotShoe TwoAxis DoubleBubble SpiritLevel

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Alright, now I have to admit it. I like toys. This little item is stylish, inexpensive, and useful.
Straight lines are important to me. While I practice refining my eye for seeing when things are level and parallel, in some situations it helps to have a level that will double check things for you.
Check out more of the gear I Use on this blog (search for Equipment), on this site, and in my AStore.
Check out my field workshops here.
Get a 20% discount on my Iceland (8/18-22) workshop here.
Get a 15% discount on my Fall Foliage (10/17-20) workshop here – until 8/17.
The first 5 Insights Members get $1000 off South America (2/2-14/09), thereafter $250.
Space just became available in my workshop in Namibia.

Gloss Differential

Technique - Printing  Comment
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Gloss differential is an uneven reflectance of the surface of a print. In inkjet printing, very dark colors are produced with substantial amounts of ink while very light colors are produced with little or no ink. This can produce differences in reflectivity throughout the surface of a print in many images. While this is not an issue for most matte surfaces, it can be distracting when looking at glossy prints under specific angles of light.

Recent ink technology includes additives designed to reduce gloss differential to produce more even print surfaces. In addition, some separation routines reduce it even further. Epson printer drivers include two features in their Advanced Black and White mode, Highlight Point Shift and Highlight Tonality slider, that can be used to reduce gloss differential. Running these settings to a maximum virtually eliminates gloss differential. Because clear and very light black ink are used in these delicate areas, this darkens the print only slightly. You can compensate for this by lightening the file before printing.

How can you identify gloss differential? Make a print with very bright highlight areas. Look at those printed areas under bright light while varying the angle of the surface of the print and compare the reflectance you see there to darker surrounding areas.

What can you do to reduce gloss differential? Use the latest inksets. Optionally, use the most recent black and white software routines to reduce it even further. (Epson’s Highlight Poiint Shift is designed for this.) Hold your highlights slightly full to avoid paper white, which will be less reflective. Finally, consider spraying, varnishing, or waxing the surface of your prints.

Read more with my online Printing Resources.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Bronzing

Technique - Printing  Comment
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Bronzing is an iridescent flash of color, typically bronze, produced when viewing prints under varying angles of light. It’s produced by pigmented ink’s tendency to refract light. It’s most visible in black and white prints but affects color prints as well. It affects glossy surfaces almost exclusively.    

Optimum choice of ink and precise placement makes the difference. Recently, new separation routines and screening algorithms have been devised to place droplets of specific ink colors, in specific patterns, in combination with other inks to dramatically reduce bronzing.

How can you identify bronzing? Look at the surface of a glossy print in near direct light. Change the angle of the print and look for a flash of bronze near areas of glare.

What can you do to eliminate bronzing? Choose the best inksets and drivers. (Optionally, print on a matte surface.) This will all but eliminate bronzing in your prints.

Read more with my online Printing Resources.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

I Use – Giotto's Rocket Air Blaster

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It’s a first line of defense. Before you touch your sensor, see if you can blow the dust off. Don’t blow with your mouth. Spit happens. Don’t blow with canned air. Spit still happens. Try a manual blower like this one.
Check out more of the gear I Use on this blog (search for Equipment), on this site, and in my AStore.
Check out my field workshops here.
Get a 20% discount on my Iceland (8/18-22) workshop here – expires 8/10.
Get a 15% discount on my Fall Foliage (10/17-20) workshop here – until 8/17.
The first 5 Insights Members get $1000 off South America (2/2-14/09), thereafter $250.
Space just became available in my workshop in Namibia.

Metamerism

Technique - Printing  Comment
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3500 K

5000 K

6500 K

Metameric failure is the tendency of an object to change its appearance under different light sources. Different light sources, even of the same color temperature, are often comprised of differing amounts of spectral frequencies (i.e. red or blue frequencies). Some objects change appearance more quickly than others; they are more metameric. This is true when comparing dye-based inks with pigmented inks. As pigments are made of irregular particles, they tend to refract (reflect and bend) light more strongly than uniform dye globules. The most current ink technology coats pigment particles in resin to reduce this effect. Additionally, some color pigments, typically the most saturated ones, are more prone to metamerism. By separating the file differently and using more of the less metameric ink to reproduce an image, the print’s appearance stability is increased. This is particularly important when reproducing neutrals, as small shifts in hue are quickly detected in these colors.

How can you evaluate metameric failure? Make two prints of the same image (preferably containing significant neutrals) and compare them side by side in different light sources.

What can you do to reduce metameric failure? Use the latest inksets and drivers (with the latest separation routines). And, when practical, standardize the light your prints are viewed under. Can metamerism be completely eliminated? No. Everything is metameric. But metameric failure in prints can be reduced to the point where it is no longer significant or noticeable.

With new technologies come new possibilities and new challenges. Recent advances in inkjet technology (ink formulation, separation routines, and screening algorithms) are making noticeable gloss differential, bronzing, and metameric failure things of the past. It pays to stay informed of the latest developments in printing technology. Your prints will simply get better.

Read more with my online Printing Resources.

Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.

Search

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Looking for something specifc on this website?
Use the new Google Search feature – located in the top right corner of the nav bar.
This doesn’t replace the Search and Categories features for this blog.
It adds Search for the rest of this website.
So, next time you’re looking for information on a specific topic, use the Search feature!
You can add Google search to your website too. Found out more here.

I Use – iPhone … for Photographs? Yes!

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Do I actually use my iPhone to make photographs? Yes! You’ve seen many of them here on my blog. I don’t use my iPhone to make exhibition quality prints. But, I use it to make snapshots and take quick notes. I’m out for drinks with friends – iPhone. I want to stay in touch with my family while I’m away – iPhone. I’m in a museum and I want a quick sketch – iPhone. I’m in a bookstore and I want to make a note of a book cover or something inside it – iPhone. The toughest thing about the iPhone is my 6 year old son wants to use it all the time. I’ve found the best insurance policy for both my iPhone and my professional cameras is to get him his own digital point and shoot.
I use this piece of gear in all of my workshops – everyday really.
Check out this product and many others I use in my AStore here.
Check out my PDF Reviews here.
Check out my field workshops here.
Get a 20% discount on my Iceland (8/18-22) workshop here – expires 8/10.
Get a 15% discount on my Fall Foliage (10/17-20) workshop here – until 8/17.
The first 5 Insights Members get $1000 off South America (2/2-14/09), thereafter $250.
Space just became available in my workshop in Namibia.

I Use – Canon G9 Underwater Housing

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Looking for a new perspective! Take your camera underwater! Stills. Video. It’s so much fun! Worried? Don’t be. I do it all the time. So do many professional underwater photographers. Just get a good housing.
This is the underwater housing I use for my Canon G9.
On my wish list … a housing for my 1DSMKIII.
Check out this product and many others I use in my AStore here.
Check out my PDF Reviews here.
Check out my field workshops here.
Get a 20% discount on my Iceland (8/18-22) workshop here – expires 8/10.
Get a 15% discount on my Fall Foliage (10/17-20) workshop here – until 8/17.
The first 5 Insights Members get $1000 off South America (2/2-14/09), thereafter $250.
Space just became available in my workshop in Namibia.

I Use – Canon G9 Camera

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I feel photographers should have at least two cameras. One for high resolution images in print and one to play with.
Jay Maisel’s advice is “Never go anywhere without a camera.” It’s great advice! You never know when something magical will happen and if you don’t have a camera with you, you won’t be able to photograph it. Small point and shoot cameras make it easier to follow this advice.
I use my Canon G9 to document all kinds of events in my life. It gets me making images in ways I wouldn’t ordinarily. This helps me become more versatile and has beneficial effects on my professional work as well as my personal life. Most of the images you see on this blog are made with either my G9 or my iPhone. Most of my family pictures are now made with my G9, sometimes by my six year old son.
Do I ever make exhibition quality prints from images made with my G9? Yes! Its 12.1mp resolution exceeds the resolution of 35mm film.
Is it full featured? Yes! It has most of the features of a DSLR except interchangeable lenses. But, the G9’s lens has an impressive 6x optical zoom with image stabilization.
I’m not saying it replaces my Canon 1DSMKIII DSLR. Maybe one day small cameras like this will replace larger ones. Right now, they create a new niche. That means more photographs are being taken – sometimes more interesting pictures as a result.
Oh, and in a pinch, don’t forget your cell phone. Pulitzer Prize winning pictures have been made with cell phones.
Find out more about the Canon G9 here.
Check out this product and many others I use in my AStore here.
Check out my PDF Reviews here.
Check out my field workshops here.
Get a 20% discount on my Iceland (8/18-22) workshop here – expires 8/10.
Get a 15% discount on my Fall Foliage (10/17-20) workshop here – until 8/17.
The first 5 Insights Members get $1000 off South America (2/2-14/09), thereafter $250.
Space just became available in my workshop in Namibia.