Friday, February 29, 2008

You've got to be kidding me....

carmenl_468x505.jpg

Source: Daily Mail
Written by Emily Sheridan

Introducing Carlizina Jolectron, the latest Hollywood beauty.
On closer inspection, the stunning actress appears rather familiar.

In fact, Carlizina isn’t even a real woman - she’s a digital combination of Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron and Carmen Electra.

Carlizina is just one of the entries in Photoshop website Worth1000.com contest to find the ultimate celebrity.

The entrant has combined the hair and lips of Jolie, the nose of Theron and the alluring eyes of former Baywatch star Electra.

Read entire article

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

The Single Best Thing You Can Do For Your Photography This Year

If you're into photography (and I know you are if you're here), do yourself a favor and stop what you're doing right now, go get in the car and drive to your local bookstore - or click your favorite book dealer online and order Joe McNally’s, The Moment it Clicks: Photographer Secrets from one of the world’s best shooters (Published by New Riders). Advertised as a book that has One foot on the coffee table, and one foot in the classroom. - It's one of the greatest books to come out on photography in a long time!

There's a quote in the book where Joe talks about every photographer needing a hero - and Joe's it for me (and I kinda love Moose Peterson too!)

I gotta tell ya; if it was just a coffee table photo book, it would be worth it just for the incredible photos alone. If it it was just a book of Joe’s amazing stories, or the “how to get a shot like this” sidebars, or just those little nuggets of photography wisdom he gleaned from a life behind the lens, it would be worth it to get any one of those. But he gave us all four. One foot on the coffee table, and one foot in the classroom. I don’t know how he pulled it off—but he did—in a big way.

This sounds cliché, but I couldn’t put it down. In fact, I literally took it to lunch with me. I'm not going to ruin any part of it for you, but there's a picture in there that's less than appetizing. I'm reading away and the waitress comes up and says -"That's really something to be looking at while you eat!" I kept reading.

It's winning awards and zooming up the charts of all books as I type. It's already had to go back for a second printing!

Go people, NOW! Why are you still here reading my blog? (But do come back tomorrow!)

Go To School!

So here's an interesting site I discovered. I haven't had too much time to explore but it looks very good for those people wanting to learn more about photography. It's mostly beginner stuff so far, but with the promise of more to come.

Take a look at Michael's Photography School

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

One of the things I really wanted to do with this blog is educate and pass along information on other workshops you might want to attend (and of course showcase YOUR work). I just got the 2008 spring/fall catalog of classes from the Santa Fe Workshops,(thanks to Scott Kelby) and since it’s just a listing of their upcoming classes, I guess I wasn’t expecting to see so much incredible photography, but…it’s filled with incredible photography! It’s a beautifully designed catalog that makes such great use of photography that I had to sit there with it for a few minutes, and just let the images soak in (here’s a link to download a PDF version of the catalog). If anyone is ever interested in attending one of these - let me know - I might go with you!

Monday, February 25, 2008

New Projects

Well it's official. I'm a business now. I got up early this morning to sign all my paperwork at the lawyer's office. I'm officially, Chris Barnes Digital Imaging, LLC today! And my first order of business:
Well, you guys know me - I'm nothing if I don't have a new project in the works - and today I announce two!

1) A friend of mine and I decided to create and offer a stock photography site for North Carolina photographers. We're underway and I'll announce updates and releases on this site soon.

2) I also secured a .com URL - to begin the process of starting a North Carolina Photography Guild. As above stay tuned here for more details in the near future.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Even More Fun !!

Ever wanted to see one of your best shots in a museum and have people admire it! It's easier than you think with Museumr

Thursday, February 21, 2008

More Fun!

Here's a fun little site I found today. It let's you put yourself on a magazine cover. You simply upload a picture of yourself, choose the magazine cover, and it does the rest.

MagMyPic

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Sorry...Been Sick...

But I'm back on track today and I've got an announcement and opportunity! Several members of the classes are going to a Photoshop Seminar in Richmond, VA on March 18th. Come go with us!

Read more about it here.

If you're interested - email me and let me know so we can arrange to ride and sit with one another!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Friday Fun

I found this awhile back over at the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) site and then again the other day at Phottle Blog. Thought I share with you a very amusing an idea generating series of photos.

Here now are funny wedding photos.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

O...M.....G.....!!!

If you followed the link about the really cool Canon Lens fro $99,000 the other day - well then...

Feast your eyes on THIS! How about a lens for taking pictures 32 miles aways - yes, I said MILES! (Note the camera attached on the right side!)

Also, we're planning a day-trip to DC for the Cherry Blossoms! Please contact the list group if you're interested!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Pretty Cool...

The makers of a very cool Photoshop plugin (Vertus Fluid Mask) have created a list compiling the Top 40 Photoshopped Images. Some are really cool, and others... well...disturbing! Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Photowalk March 8 in Washington DC


The following is posted from Jeff Revell's blog:
I am looking for interested parties who want to participate in a PhotoWalk in the Washington DC area. Not the monuments and buildings that have been shot by oh so many tourists (including me) but some of the less frequented, but just as interesting locations around the city. I haven’t nailed down a date or time or route yet but I am looking at March 8th. I am already counting in Mike & Mike but I would love to hear from others in the area that are interested. As I said, the date and time is not set so if you have alternate suggestions, please let me know. I was just over at Photowalking.org looking at the wrap-up from the Bethesda photowalk this past weekend and they had 26 photographers show up, including Scott Sherman from the Digital Photography Show Podcast.

In conjunction with the walk, I have set up a Flickr Group to upload images and discuss the walk (click here to go to the group). Not sure what a photowalk is? It’s really pretty simple, grab your camera and any other photogear you might find essential, your comfortable walking shoes, and a spirit of adventure. Add some other enthusiastic photographers, an interesting location, and start clicking. That’s about all there is to it. It’s really just a way to get out, take some photos of things you find interesting along the way and then share them with others that share your passion. No critiques, just mutual inspiration and maybe at the end, a little coffee and pie. Mmmmmm, pie! So if you are interested, drop me a comment here on the blog or head on over to the Flickr Group. The more, the merrier.

If you're interested - pop on over. That's my mom's birthday weekend, but I may go if she celebrates on another day.

Monday, February 11, 2008

More Help!

There’s a nice little article over at National Geographic Traveler called “Five ways to use the Web to help you become a better photographer.” It’s short and sweet, and definitely worth a read (it also includes some very cool sites, like The Strobist, and Luminous Landscape).

Friday, February 8, 2008

Sometimes, It's Just About the Whimsical!

This is what happens when 20 crazy photogs go out in a driving rain storm!

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Just for fun...

This one’s just for fun: it’s a new Canon lens that’s….well….you just gotta see it to believe it. It’s worth a click (click here).

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Adobe Photoshop CS3 for $299 !!!

No, this isn’t some cheap take on a educational software gray market scam. This is the real deal from Adobe.

If you’ve been wanting to get your hands on Photoshop CS3, but don’t really want to shell out $650, then Adobe has got a deal for you. You can upgrade your copy of Photoshop Elements (versions 1.0-6) to the full blown Photoshop CS3 for only $299. This offer is for US and Canada residents only (excluding Quebec for some reason).

What? You don’t have Elements? Get a copy for under $40 at Amazon and then upgrade it. You still come in $300 less that the full retail price.

As far as I can tell, you can only take advantage of this upgrade offer directly through Adobe. So, here’s the link. The offer expires 2/29/08.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Something I Forgot To Mention!!!

If anybody wants additional prints (either from the class or others you've taken) where I do the professional color correction and then print - I'd be glad to do that for you. Depending on what you wanted and the size the price varies, but the most expensive print would be $20 and most being about $12-15.

ALSO: Two more folks signed up for the March 29th class - and the ad hits the newspaper this week, so if you're planning to attend reserve your spot now!

Monday, February 4, 2008

I Love The "Cafe" Look of This Shot

Nice angle shot of the back of some buildings in downtown Wilson. I love the old world cafe look to this shot. Nice color. Great Shot!

Friday, February 1, 2008

Another "Meet the People" Shot!

Random guy on the street wants to know why 20 crazy people are walking around in the rain taking pictures. Student explains and says "You wanna be in one?!?"