Survival Stories — Going Live

The immediate response was overwhelming. More than 150 of you sent emails saying “yes” to my inquiry as to whether I ought to start “a survival stories” section on this web site. My web developer, Nina Sossen, who knows a lot more about web site interaction than I do,  tells me that...

Self Assignment: No More Pretty Pictures

This shoot came from my “Dark Side”. The basic concept was simple — to show that contrary to what glossy magazines and movies may tell us, beauty does not necessarily bring happiness. And, that for some, external beauty can be a trap because it blinds many an eye to the internal picture...

Cool Tools: Sofortbild Tethering Software

I know. Yet another article about tethering? Yes. But, this one will be short. I’ve already written extensively about the topic both in a newsletter article and in a review of onOne  Software’s DSLR Remote Pro. In the onOne review I wrote: The upside of shooting tethered is: (1) the ability to...

Camera Profiles and the ColorChecker Passport — The What, Why and How

For a while it was a mystery. I just didn’t get it. No matter how I set the white balance in my Nikon cameras — be it preset or custom — when I opened my images in either Adobe Camera RAW (ACR) or Lightroom (which are, in essence, the same thing) the White Balance number would be way off....

Cool Tools: Matthews Magic Stand

My name is Steve. I’m a tool junkie. I’m in love with a light stand. How did it happen? It called to me. The moment I saw it in a Matthews catalog, it called to me. All I could hear were the paraphrased words from a great Heart song: You don’t have to love me yet, Let’s get high a...