(And, now a quick apology: Usually I hyperlink my posts so that you can easily go to the web pages of the people, products and events I discuss in them; however, I’m writing on a very short deadline and can’t take the time to do so in these daily columns. Sorry. But, Google should get you where you need to go, easily.)

The Opening Ceremony — Rock and Roll — Great Humor — and Some Serious Awards

The opening ceremony at PSW is not to be missed. It is always a theme driven, creative extravaganza — highly entertaining and with great production values. With the quality of everything else NAPP does, you’d expect no less. This year’s theme was rock and roll. A fitting tribute to the 20th Anniversary of Photoshop. Not surprisingly, our favorite Photoshop Gurus are also musicians of some talent. So, after a very funny video about the fictional band “NAPP” — its genesis and break up, we had a reunion performance that brought the house down.

Odd Stuff From the 20th Anniversary Video: Would you believe that the original creators of Photoshop thought they’d sell maybe 500 copies a month? That one of the key developers, Thomas Knoll, spent hours creating the program because, in his words, he found it more fun “… than writing my thesis”?

But, to me, the highlight of the opening was not the glitz, glamour, humor and fun — it was the induction into the Photoshop Hall of Fame of a man who truly deserved the award, Peter Bauer. I’ve written, many times, about Peter — the guy I used to think was a computer, the guy who runs the NAPP Help Desk, the guy who answers all the hard questions, within hours. Peter has done more to help more people out of Photoshop jams than anyone else around. His patient counsel has guided many of us out of the sinking sensation of being stuck in quicksand. Peter, congratulations. And, thank you for all you have done for all of us.

From the Trade Show Floor

Something to look forward to — HDR Wars. For those who think HDR (High Dynamic Range) has had its 15 minutes of fame — it’s time to think again. Yes, the illustrative, grunge, and funky looks may have become so common as to have lost some of their impact, but the basic concept of HDR has not; simply stated, HDR overcomes the somewhat limited dynamic range of many of our digital cameras. At best, most of us can capture 5-7 stops. With HDR, we can greatly expand that by taking multiple images and combining them. I still go for the illustrative look. But, those who don’t probably rule the day. And, for all of us, there are some new alternative software solutions that will make this a very competitive and dynamic market.

NIK Software, is demonstrating it’s new entry into the field; one of the things that make it special is its use of U-Point technology. Photoshop CS5 incorporates a very improved HDR section. Rumor is that Photomatix has a new version in Beta form. And, I just saw a demonstration of two products from Unified Color that knocked my socks off — HDR Expose and 32 Float. More on all of these, later.

Random Notes From the Classroom

1. Pixel Bender has been mentioned in several classes. It’s a free download from Adobe that helps achieve a “painter” type look. You can learn about it and get it here.

2. Check out Calvin Hollywood’s blog site. Inspiration. And, free video tutorials on creating some unique looks. I took a class with Calvin and Russell Brown — dueling gurus. Superb!

3. For those of you who have Dave Cuerdon’s action set, either because you bought the DVD or because you are a member of Kelby Training — Dave has updated one  of the actions to make it run better in CS5. For a copy of the new action, and a Beta action he’s developing on skin retouching, email Dave. I reviewed Dave’s Kelby Training session in a previous post. If you have not watched it or bought the DVD, you might think of doing so. I highly recommend it.

–30–

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)

Why, is a bit hard to say. I’ve learned amazing things at Imaging USA. And, Texas School gave me the base upon which to build everything I do. But, at this time in my career, PSW is the place where my vision is enhanced and my horizons are stretched.

Perhaps, it’s because here, I’m a fish half out of water. I know a lot about the technical side of photography. And, I’m not bad in post-production. But, “not bad” puts me at the back of the class at PSW. There are people here who are incredible — what they can do with Photoshop spins my head.

Lest anyone misunderstand, PSW is not only for people who can spin heads. PSW is for all of us. There are classes at every level taught by people at the top level of what they do. This is my third PSW. At my first, I took a lot of “beginner” courses. I learned a lot. More than I thought I could learn in 4 days. Now, I’m taking some tougher classes — but I feel fully prepared. Since my first PSW, I’ve taken seminars, lectures, and joined Kelby Training. I’ve read books and watched DVD’s. I’ve hosted seminars featuring Dave Cross, Jim DiVitale and Janice Wendt. I’ve worked hard and when I look back at what I was doing before my first PSW to what I can do now, I feel like the guy who went from driving an old John Deere in the fields to a guy who drives a Ferrari on the track.

To me, PSW strikes the perfect balance between “practical learning” and inspiration. And, that’s what I’m going to write about this week — the things that will improve both my technique and my vision. I’ll try to post something every day. And, when I get home, I’ll do some in depth posts tips and tutorials.

One of the things I like most about conferences is that I get to see and spend time with my friends who don’t live in Texas.

Today, I had lunch with Janice Wendt. Janice is known to most of us as the “Nik Diva”. She’s the woman at all of the trade shows and schools who shows us how to use Nik’s incredible suite of software. She’s the go-to- Nik-woman — the best Nik teacher I’ve seen and one of the best retouchers in the world.

Janice has recently been on the road teaching at photo and art schools. Many of my friends who have been on the road teaching at conferences and trade shows have reported back to me that in this great “sea change” in the world of photography, there are many of us entering the profession with very little training. The demand for knowledge is everywhere. One would think that the key to servicing this new group of photographers would be to focus on the “nuts and bolts” of the profession. So I asked Janice how she was reaching out to this group and what her goals were.

Her answer — “I teach them inspiration. That’s the most important thing I do. I teach them to see how much better things can be. That what is good can be great.”

I think that is the right message for the times.

All over this web site are articles and comments about the current market for professional photography. A few themes resonate:

With cameras getting better and better, and capable of taking very good images, technical mastery is becoming a thing of the past; another way of saying the same thing is to say that it is easier to enter the profession, today, than it was before.

However, it is harder to survive.

The more photographers, the more competition we all face. Competition can be good. Or, it can be destructive. No one wins in a “price war”. Lower prices. Lower profits. No profits. Out of business. That’s the risk when we choose to compete on price.

But, we can all win in a “quality war” because it will force us to grow and do our best work.

To succeed in a “quality war”, we have to be better. We have to differentiate our work. We have to sell that difference. Our clients have to see it. And, they have  to be educated to the point where they are willing to pay more for better images.

And, that’s why Janice is right on track when she says that she teaches “inspiration” and “vision”.

Yes, it is important that we master our tools like those in the Nik Suite. But, according to Janice, the woman who knows them best, until we expand our vision, until we see that “good enough” never is, until we challenge ourselves and our software to go beyond what seems OK, we will not be great. And, great is where we must be. To be satisfied. And, to survive.

And, that’s why I’m here at PSW. To challenge myself. To expand my vision. And, to share the experience with those of you who could not get here.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)

I was up early watching the Tour de France. I’m an addict. Smack dab in front of my big screen, one of my heroes, Lance Armstrong, had an accident that would take him out of contention for the Yellow Jersey.

And, then, I got the phone call. My studio had been broken into. Someone had kicked in a large display window and ransacked the place. Storage room doors had been pried open, drawers and boxes emptied on the floor — and things had been stolen. Lots of things.

Not the least of which was my sense of serenity — the peace I felt in my “creative place”.

Since then, I’ve been trying to put my studio and that part of my life back together. This isn’t the first time I’ve been a crime victim. I’ve been car jacked — with a gun to my head and almost shot. I’ve had other things stolen.

Each time, two things happened. I searched my mind to figure out what I could have done differently, better, to prevent the crimes. And, I dealt with insurance companies, trying to replace the physical, tangible things that I lost.

In this post, I’ll write about both journeys — the critical analysis of my attempts at crime prevention, and what I’ve learned from negotiating the obstacle course that often makes a trip down the path of the insurance process difficult and unpleasant.

My goal is simple: To give you the benefit of the lessons I’ve learned.

Lesson #1 — There Is No Way to Prevent a Crime: At Best We Can Make It More Difficult

If burglars want to break in, they will break in. It’s that simple. We cannot stop them.

At best, we can try to deter them. We can make it more difficult. And, we can raise the risk that they will get caught.

But, if they are willing to break down whatever barriers we erect, and if they are willing to risk of arrest, there is nothing we can do.

However, that does not mean that we should not try. Many years ago, when my Pacific Palisades, California, neighborhood was facing a string of burglaries, we had a neighborhood meeting. The local police sent a representative. His message was clear — make it difficult, make it risky, and hope the burglars move on to another target.

Hide the “Given Objects”

Perhaps, the most important lesson I learned was “Don’t tempt them. Hide the ‘given objects’. Keep them out of easy view. Don’t let them know what’s behind the doors and locks.”

“Hide the given object.” Hmm. For many of us that’s kind of hard to do. We are photographers. We have signs on our studios. Pictures in our windows. Not  much of a secret about what’s inside. There’s a good chance there are cameras, computers, expensive things in there — whether they can be seen or not.

Actually, I had followed that advice — most of the time. My studio is in a Design Center — a place where there are showrooms full of expensive furniture and rugs. All of the tenant spaces share a common feature — our front walls are all glass, huge display windows that go from ground to ceiling. We live in a fishbowl. My front room is very plain and simple. Office furniture and computer equipment. Plain white walls — no prints (I know that’s weird but it’s me — I feel more creative in a blank space). All of the good stuff is in my camera room and a locked storage closet — neither of which can be seen from the outside.

But, on the night of the burglary, I left some “given objects” in plain view in the front room. On the previous day, my daughter Jenny was shooting some senior portfolios. When I shoot, I often wheel some of the lights and things I won’t be using out of the camera room and store them in the front room. That day, I put several lights on stands — replete with soft boxes, up front to get them out of the way. Since Jen was going to shoot the following day, I did not put them back. And, because I knew I’d be back the following morning, I left my MacBook Pro on my desk. (I usually take it down and home. Didn’t do it that night and I really kick myself, now. That day, while Jenny was shooting, I wrote two articles that I was going to post on this site, for the July “content”. I didn’t back them up. I’m unusually anal about backing up; but, that night, I let it slip. And, that’s why there has been a big gap in updating content.)

So, “given objects” in plain view. But, I don’t know. I’m not sure the stands, lights, and boxes were all that tempting. In fact they were not stolen. If anything “lured” them in, I think it was the computer. I’ll never leave one out, again. (Actually, that’s not quite right. I’ve got a collection of old Mac’s in the office — a virtual tour down Mac Memory Lane. I think they are funky looking. They are always in plain view. But, only the current and valuable model was stolen.)

Lock Things Up Tight

I did. And, it didn’t help.

The entry doors to my studio have a dead bolt. So, the burglars kicked in a display window. Why mess with a lock when one swift blow can create a huge entry way?

The door to my storage closet has a deadbolt. So, they pried it open.

One of the storage cabinets has one of those Kryptonite type bike locks on it; they didn’t try to break the lock; instead, they grabbed onto it, used it as a handle, and pulled the cabinet door off its hinges. (That’s the picture you see at the top of this article. I’ve diddled with the image; in its real form, the stark reality still upsets me.)

Yes, I could have used more dead bolts, stronger hinges, with better reinforcement — but I remain convinced that there is a way to break into most places, and the only thing we can do is make it so hard that they won’t take the time to do it.

And, that’s where the safe comes in. I have a large safe, bolted to my floor, in which I keep all of my most valuable gear. It has my Nikon cameras and lenses. They did not even try to get into it. What was bad could have been worse — but for the safe. If I could turn my entire studio into a safe, I would. But, I can’t.

Adding Insult to Injury

One of the things that upsets me most was also one of the hardest lessons to learn: the crooks used my camera bags and rollers to carry away my stuff.

First, they took my entire off-camera-flash kit that was thoughtfully and carefully organized in one large camera bag; 4 of my cherished, impossible to replace SB800’s, my supreme commander SB900 (not as loved but functional), dozens of batteries, several chargers and clamps, mounting hardware, and modifiers — all easily carried away because I had packed them in a bag. Frankly, I don’t think they knew what they were getting. It was just so easy to take that they did. More than anything, I’m going to miss that kit.

And, then, they took my Large Tenba Roadie, threw away the dividers and filled it. So, too several other bags.

Lesson Learned: I’m going to try to figure out a way to secure my bags so that they cannot be used against me. Maybe chain them up. Hang them from the ceiling? If you can think of a better way, let me know.

So, that’s the story of  Part 1 of the Journey — the burglary itself.

As painful as that was, more pain was to follow. I had to file and pursue an insurance claim. The burglars were in my studio for maybe 15 minutes; the insurance companies have been in my life for the last 6 weeks, and there is no end in sight.

Insurance: The Real Back Stop (?)

I think we all know that no matter what we do, we cannot stop a determined thief.

That’s why we buy insurance. We know bad things might happen. So, we get insurance to give us the peace of mind that should something happen we will be able to get back to where we were before the painful event.

Would that that were so. Although I’m sure that many of us have had very positive experiences with insurance companies, some of us have not.

Unfortunately, my experience with my carrier, so far, has not been pleasant. My claim has yet to be resolved. I am having a dispute with one of my companies as to the nature of the policy and the scope of its coverage. More on that later.

My goal in this section is to discuss insurance in broad terms — to raise some potential issues, to give you some things to think about as you insure your equipment.

Before I go further I want to make one thing clear:  Nothing in this article is to be construed as either legal or professional advice. Please, use what is written as the basis upon which you consult with your insurance agents and attorneys. Let them guide you. Each of us has different needs and only professional guidance will make sure they are met.

(And, therein lies my problem — and possibly yours, too, if you have a loss. I bought my policy through one of my professional organizations. I heard it described at a convention. I did not have an “agent” in the traditional sense of the word. I did not see the actual policy. I did not have a personal connection to the protection of my equipment.)

Before we start talking about the different kids of insurance policies, we need to talk about something that crosses over whatever type of insurance we get.

We Need to Keep An Up-To-Date Inventory of What We Are Insuring

Most insurance policies — be they special schedules or professional coverage — demand that we keep an accurate inventory of the equipment we want insured. And, they ask us to file that inventory with them on a set basis.

Most of us keep our receipts. I’ve gone one step farther. Several years ago, I created a database in Filemaker Pro that lists my equipment and keeps track of what it is, when I bought it, what I paid for it, and the serials numbers, when applicable.

Creating it took a couple of days. I carried my laptop around the studio and entered everything I thought should be insured. I did the same thing at home. It wasn’t fun, but it was essential.

Now, I have a ritual. Whenever I buy something, before I take it to the studio, before I start to use it, I enter it in the database.

Here’s a copy of the base form I use. This is the data entry layout:

To make entry easy, almost all of the categories have drop down menus so that I do not have to type in much data. Here’s an example of the drop down for the “Vendor” entry:

Most of the columns are self-explanatory. The “Total Replacement Cost” column keeps track of all of the items in the database. When I get rid of something, instead of taking it out of the database, I “retire it” from use and take it off the insurance policy. There are some things I do not insure or do so with another carrier — so I have a drop down “Yes” and “No” in the form.

Actually, my current database has more options. I have an entry that tells me what was stolen on July 11. And, to which insurer I am submitting the claim. I also added a column with a URL for the insurance company showing what the current cost of replacement is; all the claim adjustor has to do is click and the item and price pops up. The easier we make things for the claim adjustor the faster the claim will be adjusted.

Over the days following the burglary, I took a print out of the schedule to my studio and used colored markers to mark what was there and what was not. I then entered the data into the form and printed out the inventory of what was lost. That’s what I sent to the claim adjustor.

Whenever I want to update my insured inventory, I use a second Layout to send information to the insurer. Here’s what it looks like:

Without this database, I’m not sure how I’d have gone about proving my loss. I would have taken a lot of searching through old records — some of which are in storage.

For me, the maintenance of these records has been well worth the effort. I strongly suggest that you develop a system of your own.

One last point: Make sure to put everything on the schedule; if it is not listed, most companies will say it won’t be covered. I lost a hard drive and cable; the hard drive was listed; the cable was not; the cable was not covered. It’s a pain in the butt, but to be on the safe side we have to list every little thing that we want insured. And, that’s understandable. They need to know the nature of the risk they are covering. When filling out the inventory, pay attention to the details.

But Wait! There’s More!! Something Free!!!

To make it easier for those of you who don’t want to “program” a database, I posted a copy of my template for you to download. To use it, you’ll need Filemaker Pro which runs on both the Apple and Windows operating systems. From what I understand, but have not tried, you can import this template into other databases and spreadsheets. You can edit the drop down menus such as “Type”, “Manufacturer”, and “Vendor” by going to the bottom of the list and hitting “Edit”; you will be able to add or delete at will.

To get your free copy, click here. You will be asked for the password which is — FreeTemplate. Duh! Not too creative. But, it will work.

Choosing the Right Insurance Policy

Most of us have insurance on our equipment. But, do we have the right policies?

There is nothing worse than having an insurance policy only to find out, at a time of loss, that the policy we have is not the policy we thought it was. That’s where I’m caught right now. In “coverage hell”.

I bought a policy that I was told would pay for the “replacement” of lost or damaged equipment. In the world of insurance, “replacement” usually means that we will get something of “like kind and quality” — whatever the cost of doing so. My written policy was consistent with that representation.

But, when the claim was sent to an adjustor, the ground rules changed. I was told that I would be paid the “scheduled amount” of my loss or the cost of replacement — whichever was less. The scheduled amount was the amount I listed in the “cost” columns of my spreadsheet. When I told the adjustor that under that interpretation, one that I did not accept, I would not be able to replace all that was stolen, I was told something to the effect of “Well, you’ll just have to decide what you can do without.” In other words, the policy that had guaranteed that I would be able to replace whatever I lost had turned into a policy that would not.

With this type of policy interpretation, we, as photographers, face a scheduling dilemma. Our photography equipment often appreciates in value. That’s rare in the world of consumer spending; most of the stuff we buy goes down in value. However, for example, I paid about $100.00 less per SB800 than I will have to pay to replace them with SB900’s. Why the 900’s? Because I can’t get the 800’s anymore. Wish I could; in my eyes they are a far better unit. But, the 900 is considered the unit of “like kind and quality”. The same can be said about the prices of some Nikon lenses. They’ve gone up, not down, in value.

And, that’s why most of us want true “replacement value” insurance. If we buy a policies that pay the “scheduled amount”, we are forced, on a daily basis, to track the value of each piece of equipment to make sure it is listed at its current price on our database. In essence, our equipment becomes a commodity and we are tracking its value; it’s like following the stock commodities markets on a daily basis. And, with each move up and down, we have to file an amended schedule with the insurance company. We are in the photography business — not the scheduling business. With policies that demand daily updates, we are at risk because, most of us will not have the time to do it.

The “daily update policy” is a nightmare. And, one that both the professional organization that represents my plan, and the broker that sells it for the organization, claim is not what I bought.

But, today, as I write this column, that is how the adjustor is handling my claim.

To the credit of my professional organization, their officers are strongly and steadfastly working to clear up this coverage mess. I am confident they will do so. They want the best policy for all of us, the one that will give us true coverage, and I’m sure they will get it.

The Bottom Line Is: Most of us want to know that if we lose a camera or lens, we get it replaced by a camera or lens of like kind and quality. We want “replacement” coverage.

There are other types of policies. Some pay the “actual cash value” of the loss — which to most insurance companies means the market value of the lost item on the day it was lost; in most cases that’s a depreciated amount; we’d have to read the fine print, but I’m pretty sure the companies will not want to pay the “appreciated value” should that be the case.

One last note on “replacement policies”. Many pay you the actual cash value UNLESS  and UNTIL you replace the item. If you replace the item you get the replacement cost. Under this scenario: you lose a lens that will cost $1,000 to replace; it’s current value, depreciated, is $750; if you take the money, you get $750; if you buy a replacement lens and pay $1,000 for it, they give you the remaining $250.

I write this so that when you buy your policies, you will know to ask careful questions to make sure you are getting exactly what you want and need.

Important Lesson Learned: We have to do more than ask the right questions and listen carefully to the answers — WE HAVE TO READ A COPY OF THE POLICY BEFORE WE BUY IT. And, that’s not the way most of us buy insurance. Most of us talk to an agent and buy a policy without seeing the actual language of the policy we are buying. Later, we receive what is known as a “binder” or “dec page” — a summary page that commits the company to coverage and states the nature and limits of the policy; the “dec page” does not contain any of the fine print that sets the scope of the coverage. Later, we get the actual policy. In the best of all worlds, the policy we are told we are getting will be the policy we actually get. But, we don’t always live in the best of all worlds. Best Practice: Ask to see the actual policy before you sign the dotted line.

Here are some things to think about when you talk with your advisors and agents:

1. Household Insurance

Relying on your home owners or renters insurance carries some risks. Most policies will not cover “professional” equipment. I’m not sure how they define professional, but I do know that the more you have, and the better it is,  the more professional you look. For most of us this is not a safe insurance path. First, you run the risk that your loss will not be covered at all. And, second, even if it is covered under the general “personal property” coverage, you run the risk that the deductible will be so high that you will not be able to replace much of what is lost.

2. Business Policies

Most of us who rent space have liability policies that cover the premises and some of our belongings. However, once more, there are risks involved with relying on these policies to insure our equipment. These, too, are often limited to a percentage of the policy coverage. And, they, too, may exclude specific “tools of the trade”. But, most of these companies will insure our equipment if we “schedule” it.

3. Equipment Policies

Therefore, most of us will want policies specifically designed to cover photographic equipment. There’s nothing exotic about this coverage and many companies can do it. It’s simply a matter of finding an agent who knows what we have, understands it, and helps us get the right coverage. In almost all cases, a proper inventory will be essential to the process.

A Few Final Words About Insurance

We buy insurance to give us peace of mind. We buy it to know that if there is a loss, we have a partner standing beside us who will help us get back on our feet. Each year we go without a claim is a good year — for us and for the company. And, we think little about the relationship.

It is at the time of loss that we need that partnership to work. We need a company that takes our claims seriously and responds, promptly and diligently to perform the promises it has made to us. And, we need to do everything we can to facilitate the company’s handling of our claims.

The more prepared we are for a loss, the more we can give the claim adjustor, the more likely we will have a prompt and proper administration of the claim.

My claim has been delayed for other reasons. There is a dispute as to what coverage my association was selling and the nature of my policy. As soon as that conflict is resolved, I’ll update this article, name names, and give a bit more insight as to what I perceive the value of the policy to be. I will say that at this time, I’m investigating other policies. I’ll share what I’ve learned, soon.

In the mean time, it might serve all of you well to take a good look at your own policies and discuss them with your agents. If you want “replacement” insurance, make sure you have it. And, make sure what responsibilities you have in terms of tracking and updating the values of your equipment.

But, Wait! There’s More!! A Word About Alarm Systems!!!

I know it’s a little late. The cameras are out of the corral. But, I’ve installed an alarm system at my studio.

I did it with mixed feelings. Truth be told, I’m not sure how much it will help.

The idea is that if someone breaks in, an alarm sounds, and a call goes out to the police. The police come and arrest the bad guys.

In theory, that’s great. But, it’s all dependent on one thing — the response time of the local police, how quickly they get to the studio after the alarm goes off.

If they can get there in less than 5 minutes, the chances are that they will catch someone.

But, in most cities, response times are much slower — and burglars know that. I’ve been told that most burglars count on being in and out in less than 10 minutes and know, if they are that quick, they will most likely get away.

So why did I put in the alarm? To raise the risk of getting caught AND to give myself peace of mind (even if it is a bit “false”).

The burglars cannot count on a response time. They will not know if there is a car in the vicinity of my studio that will get there in a couple of minutes. When that siren goes off, they will either leave or rush their survey of my stuff, both of which are good for me.

I did a lot of research on alarm systems and have chosen one that I think best meets many of our needs. I’m in the process of testing it. If it works well, I’ll write about it. I’ve also negotiated a discount program for my readers. So, if I think it’s worth installing, I’ll do a complete article on my research, why I chose this system, and offer a discount code for all of you.

More on this later.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)

Update:

Obviously, losing my computer and a lot of my equipment has pushed the schedule of my “works in progress”.  Some of the tasks cannot be done before I get replacement equipment. But, I’ll get these stories done. In addition, I’ve started playing with the Topaz line of filters; I like them a lot and will be writing about them, too. And, finally, I expect to find a lot of stuff at Photoshop World that will stimulate posts. Sorry, for the delay on the promised articles — but they will be done — soon, I hope.

Off Camera Flash: Learning to Love Nikon’s iTTL System

I’ve run into a major detour in an article I’m writing about learning to trust and use Nikon’s i-TTL (intelligent Through-The-Lens flash system). Currently the article is code named “Hot Flashes”. Why? No, it has nothing to do with menopause. It seems that like many of you, I’ve run into some serious overheating/shut off problems with my new Nikon SB900 flash that I’m using as a “commander” flash on my D3. Before writing the broader article about learning to trust and love iTTL (which I do),  I want to get to the bottom of the overheating issue.

Is it operator error? Are we making mistakes using our flashes?

Is the speedlight “over engineered” and shutting off prematurely? Should we disable the cut out function?

Or, is it really overheating? If so, is it a hardware problem — one that remains unfixed by Nikon’s firmware update? Or are there external factors such as batteries that are either influencing or causing the problems?

My sense is that it is a combination of all of the above, made worse by people who shoot “too fast” (whatever that is),  and I hope to sort some of this out, soon.

There have been a lot of fingers pointed at batteries — claiming using the wrong ones is causing the heat build up.

Eugene Thomas, of Thomas Distributing, a one stop shop for all things battery, generously took a lot of time to explain “Battery 101″ to me. Using what I learned,  I’m going to run some battery tests —  Sanyo Eneloops v. the different brands of NiMh batteries I’m now using. Reader reports strongly favor the Eneloops; there is a body of users who claim that they help minimize SB900 overheating. And, the Eneloops can spend a lot more time on the shelf or in the camera bag without discharging.

I’m also trying to find people at Nikon who will share their wisdom and advice on the subject.

You, too, can contribute. I’d love to know your experiences and get your ideas as to what’s going on and how you’ve solved it. I started a very productive thread on one of my favorite websites, Nikonians. You can read it here. If you have ideas or answers, I’d love to know them before I write the article. Please use the contact section of this site to send them to me.

The SB900 is a great flash with many advanced features. I look forward to completing the article in which it plays a major role.

Little Things Enable Big Things

As I struggle to gain some traction on the “overheating issue” I do want to share with you some accessories that I’ve been using to make my off camera flash work more productive. There’s no reason for you to have to wait for these tips — which I’ll write about, in more depth, in the iTTL article.

From Joe McNally, and his buddy Syl Arena, and from my friends at TriCoast Photography, I’ve learned the importance of precisely placing the off camera flash and its modifier. When we work alone, most of us put the units on light stands or clamp them somewhere.

However, if we have an assistant, there is a better, more precise way, “the human, brain driven light stand”. Simply stated, we put the flash in the hands of an assistant and let him or her aim it where we want it. “Um, can you raise it up a bit?” “Now, a little more toward the side”. Instant control without having to put down the camera or move from the shooting spot.

But what do we do if we want the light placed where our human stand cannot reach? We put it on an arm extension — often known as a stick. Back on the farm, I learned to attach all kinds of things together with bailing twine and duct tape (known in our industry as gaffer’s tape.) The farm solutions worked, but they were not elegant.

So, leave it to Syl, Joe, TriCoast and a host of other people to figure out a more elegant solution for those who do not wander around in bib overalls with pockets full of twine.

Enter the “painters poll” — that extendable pole, upon which painters put rollers — used to reach places beyond arm length.

The poles are easy to find — just go to any Home Depot, Lowes, or paint supply store. Try them out — there are a lot of varieties. I chose the pole Joe and Syl use, a Shur-Line that extends from 4-9 feet. The thing I like most about it is that it has a trigger locking system that is both adjustable and solid.

But, because they were made for painters, not photographers, they share one characteristic. They have a “male” threaded fitting on the end. Most are 3/4×5 (the shaft is 3/4″ and there are 5 threads per inch); this is a wide, coarse thread — made for the threads on the female end of a paint roller.

So, how do we attach our flashes to the pole? Gaffers tape would work — but it is ugly.

The solution? The Kacey Pole Adapter sold by Midwest Photo Exchange. The Kacey threads onto the pole and converts the end to a 5/8 baby pin — the same pin we find on our light stands. Once the adaptor is in place, we can put our flash fixtures on it — just as we would on a stand specifically made for photography.

One IMPORTANT NOTE about mounting the Kacey on the painter’s stick — You must use a very strong thread locking compound like LocTite. If you don’t, the weight of the fixtures on the end will cause the Kacey to turn and loosen up because the threads on the pole are so coarse that they will give way easily. Keeping the threads from slipping is not difficult to do. I put #271 Red LocTite on the threads, mounted the Kacey and tightened it AND let it dry for 24 hours. I have a rock solid fitting that does not slip — even at extreme angles. (You can get small tubes of Loc-Tite at your hardware or auto parts store.)

In picking a pole and mounting the Kacey, think of one thing — you have some very valuable equipment on the end of that pole that you do not want to drop on someone’s head. That’s why you have to make sure you have a very solid connection between the Kacey and the pole and between the lights and the Kacey.

So, what do I put on the end of my pole? Either a single Speedlight or one of my favorite fixtures, the Photoflex DualFlash Adapter Kit. Here’s what I like most about the Photoflex — it is a turn-key operation. It comes with an “angle mount” with built in umbrella holder. It will take two Speedlights (actually 3 if you put one behind the pole) or two Speedlights and 2 Pocket Wizards should you choose to use them. Everything about the DualFlash is well thought out. A very nice touch is the way the flashes attach to the hot shoes; this is a precision fit mechanism AND there is a gap under the flash so there is no danger that the pins will touch metal (which can short out the flash.)

If I want to diffuse the flash, the bracket will let me mount one of my Creative Light shoot-through umbrellas, or a Matthews Road Rags diffusion panel.

One note about my dual flash set up: Le’t not get confused. If we are shooting iTTL, in Aperture Priority mode, the way Joe McNally usually shoots, using two Speedlights does not double the amount of flash. It gives you a bigger source of flash, will recycle more quickly, and may save battery power, but it does not double the output of the flash. Why? Let’s say we are shooting Aperture Priority at f/8. In iTTL, the camera is reading the light and telling the strobes to put out just enough flash to give a proper exposure at f/8. The amount of flash needed is constant. Whether we use one, two or three strobes, the subject only needs so much light. But, if you are shooting the flashes in their manual mode, not controlled by iTTL, that is a different matter. I’ll write more on this when I get around to writing my iTTL article.

Note: that fitting at the end of the pole — the one with the knurled handle — is the Kacey. Without it, none of this would be easy.

Finally, I’ve added my own wrinkle to the McNally/Arena set up: I bought a fish fighting belt to give to whomever is helping me by holding the pole. Why? Because the thing gets heavy. The more you put on the end, and  the more so as you extend it out, the heavier it gets; Jen tells me it has something to do with the law of “torque”. Take that sucker out 9 feet with a couple of strobes on it and the leverage  will make a strong person weak. After struggling with this, myself, I came up with a solution.

When I fished saltwater, as a small kid, we wore belts with little pockets on them. We stuck the rod ends into the pockets and gained control of the heavy load — rod, reel, and monster fish. So, I bought what is known as a “fish fighting belt”. Here’s how it works with the pole.

I’ll be back with the complete discussion of iTTL, soon.

Self-Assignment: Shooting What’s Around Me and Right Under My Nose

I’m a pretty serious fisherman. I’ve fished tournaments and have been a guide. Most of my fishing has been done at on a lake on which I have a cottage in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. What does this have to do with photography? You’ll see.

For the first several years I fished my lake, I’d get in my boat and go to the other side of the lake. Or, to the bays far to the south of me. Or the shore far to the north. In fact, for many years, I never fished in front of my own cottage and dock.

Why? Because, somehow, I had convinced myself that I had to go far away to get find the best places to fish.

Until, one day, I decided not to. I moved my boat 40 feet into the lake, held position with my trolling motor, and fished a weed bed that is directly in front of my cottage and one that I’d looked at for all the years I’d been there. Bang. A fish. And, another. And, another. Right in front of my cottage, I had found one of the hottest walleye spots on the lake. Over the years, I’ve caught and released several big musky from the same weed bed. And, after moving to Texas and learning how to “worm” — I took the technique up to Wisconsin and caught and released some great small mouth bass — in the same weeds.

These days, I still cross the lake to fish — partly because I like to cross the lake. But, I am also very aware of what’s around my home base.

Why am I writing about this now? Because of an experience I had a few days ago.

I left my studio, with my good friend and excellent photographer, Ed Bensen, in the car. Ed had seen a restored ‘32 Ford pick up in a lot on a road I often travel — within minutes of my studio. I am so into photographing cars that I had to find this truck and its owner to see if he or she would let me shoot it.

As we were passing buildings I’ve passed at least a hundred times, on a whim,  I turned into one about which I had been curious, but had never stopped to explore. Eureka — a funky, covered courtyard with bright colors, stone work, odd sculptures, skylights that were diffusing the sun — a very different and interesting place to shoot. I’ve got the name of the owner and I’ll be calling to get permission to shoot there.

Invigorated by the find, knowing how Columbus must have felt, we got back into the car in search of the Red Truck.

But, on another whim, I turned off the road I “knew so well” but obviously had never looked at, and made a right turn onto a side street. Bang. Weathered metal buildings of once bright colors. Period architecture — a lot of it from the 30’s and 40’s (how it survived the gentrification of the area I don’t know, but I do feel its days are numbered). The exact types of locations I’ve wanted for a shoot. In my head, I’ve got a self-assignment I call “juxtapositions” — the mixing of elegant fashion and decaying industrial sites. Within a mile or so of my studio, I found a bunch of perfect locations.

My plan? To go back to the area to get permission from the owners to shoot on their property. When I’ve completed the project, I’ll write it up.

But, until then, I’m going to make sure to look around wherever I am, to really open my creative eyes. I’m not going to cross the lake until I’ve “fished my side”. Beauty is all around us. We just have to open our eyes to see it.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)

I want to keep this very simple. So I’ll dedicate this slot on the home page to “Pay It Forward”.

Here’s how it will work:

If you need help — post a reply to this comment. Make it as specific as possible — date, time, place and skills needed.  If you want to help, post a comment or a reply to a previous request for help. Either way, make sure there is a way to contact you — like through your website or an email address. You may want to monitor this section to see what new messages have been posted.

A quick reminder about “Pay It Forward”. The basic concept is that we do a good deed for someone who, in turn, does a good deed for another. The deed gets passed around and if you believe in Karma, it ultimately comes back to us. (Of course, more often than not, doing the good deed is its own best reward. Whether we just feel good about what we’ve done, or we meet a new person, or we learn a new technique, there are many reasons for doing good deeds.) This is not the place to get inexpensive help, or to find a way not to pay assistants. This is the place to turn to, occasionally, when a job just overwhelms us and we need an extra set of hands to complete it — hands that we cannot afford, at this time. (BTW — the mailings for this site go to a large international audience. No matter where you are, don’t hesitate to post.)

Finally, and obviously, this is simply a place to contact fellow photographers. Because I do not vet the people who post here, I take absolutely no responsibility for them in any way. Please, figure out a way to get to know each other before you work together. Talk on the phone. Share examples of your work. Develop a comfort level with each other BEFORE you work together.

If enough people find value in this section, I’ll make it a permanent fixture of the site. If not, I’ll use the space some other way.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)

Some have had easy installations. Some have not. Unfortunately, I am in both camps. I had an easy installation. And, I lived through the installation from hell. I trust that most of you will travel the “easy path”. The software is solid and, in most cases, it is installing and running perfectly.

But, in some cases, idiosyncrasies on our hard drives create installation problems. So, for those of us who will or have had issues, I decided to create a post to share what I learned while solving those I encountered. If your installation of CS5 went perfectly, like one of mine did, you may want to skip this post. However, if you’ve run into problems, take a look; if they are the same issues I ran into, this article may help.

Today, my installations are rock solid. CS5 is a giant step on the creative path — one well worth taking. Here’s how I got there:

The Easy Installation: MacBook Pro Laptop

Nothing could have been easier. It took less than 2 hours to install my CS5 Master Collection (almost all of the software Adobe makes — save Lightroom); it was seamless and painless. It took another hour or so to follow the protocol I set forth in the original feature article. So, within 2.5 hours I had a bullet proof installation of CS5 on my laptop. And, to back it up, I had my original, fully functional, installation of CS4.

So, where’s the story?

The Installation from Hell: Mac Pro Desktop

I spent the better part of two days trying to get a rock solid installation of CS5 on my desktop computer. A good part of that time was spent on the phone waiting for and talking with an “outsourced” and somewhat underwhelming Adobe Support Center. In fact, in the end, with the help of a handful of friends, including NAPP’s incredible Peter Bauer, and perhaps the nation’s best Mac consultant, Benjamin G. Levy of Los Angeles, I solved the problems in spite of the advice I was given by Adobe.

During the struggle, I did extensive online research and determined that the issues I faced were not unique to my installation. Because others had similar experiences, I decided to update this post.

Two Basic Problems

Problem #1: Although the installer indicated that it had, in fact, installed all 11 programs in the Suite, only Photoshop, Bridge and Dreamweaver appeared in my applications folder. Photoshop and Bridge opened and ran, somewhat normally (see problem #2 below). Dreamweaver opened, without the splash screen. And, when open it had no menu bar. It was totally inoperable. The other programs were missing in action. (There are messages from people on the ‘net who are installing various CS5 Suites who are having the same problems.)

So, I decided to run the installer, again. I opened it up and it indicated that all of the programs were installed on my Mac and that there was nothing left to install. But, it did allow me to run the installer again. I checked off all of the “missing programs” and ran it. Same result. They remained lost.

Interestingly enough, when I did a “Spotlight” search on my hard drive, I found that the installer had created folders in HD>Library>Application Support>Adobe for some of the missing Suite programs. So, I had support folders but not the programs themselves.

That’s when I made my first call to Adobe. The rep told me to download the Adobe Support Advisor program. Support Advisor reads the Installation Log file created by the most recent installation of an Adobe product or Suite. It was supposed to determine what went wrong with my installation. But, it didn’t. It told me that there were no issues with the installation. Hmm.

Even so, if you are having troubles with your installation, I suggest you start with the Adobe Support Advisor. If you are lucky, it will give you the feedback to solve your problems.

But, I had to go further. I decided to “uninstall” the Adobe CS5 applications. I wanted to do so in a way that did not disturb my CS4 installation; more than ever, I needed that application to be functional; it was my safety net.

I suggested to the Adobe rep that I use the Adobe Uninstaller for the Suite. He adamantly told me not to do so because it would also uninstall CS4. So, I dragged and dropped all of my CS5 stuff in the applications folder to the trash. I did a Spotlight search on CS5 and threw away all of that stuff, too.

I then did another clean install. Another failure. And, another “no problem” message from the Support Advisor program. Here’s the screen I got back (you can click on the images for larger versions):

At that point, I decided that Adobe Support was not the answer and contacted Peter Bauer. I’ve written about Peter several times before. He’s the guy who runs the NAPP Help Desk. Having access to Peter is worth the entire cost of the NAPP membership. He’s that good. It was after 11 PM; having wasted an entire day, I was frustrated and cranky; I figured I’d send an email to Peter and await a response the following day. The response came back in less than half an hour. And, Peter lives in the Eastern Time Zone — so he was responding after midnight. I followed my hunch and his advice and resolved issue #1.

When you install a Suite, Adobe gives you a program to Uninstall it. On a Mac, it’s found in the Utilities Folder. [HD>Applications>Utilities>Adobe Installers>Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection. Note, this Installer/Uninstaller is specific to CS5. I also have one in the same folder for CS4 and I will use it when I decide that I can live without CS4 on my machine (most likely when all of the plugins I use are 64 bit compliant.)

CAVEAT: I do not run uninstallers  unless I have my hard drive backed up; I had several redundant back ups of this drive and also a Time Machine backup. So, I knew that if things went wrong, I would not suffer irreparable loss.

Here’s a picture of the Uninstaller. Note that it is set to erase the Preference files and to Deactivate the program. Deactivation clears the license with Adobe so that you can install and use the program again.

I ran the uninstaller and all of the Adobe applications from CS5 were gone.

But, I wasn’t done. I knew that there were hidden bits and pieces of CS5 code on my hard drive that had to be removed. So, I ran the Adobe CS5 Clean Script application that I downloaded from here. Here’s what the program window looked like (Note the option to clean up remnants of CS3 and CS4, too):

I hit “Clean All CS5″ and, for the first time, was confident that CS5 was officially eradicated from my computer.

Now, it was time to start over with a new, clean install.

Interestingly, Peter suggested a protocol similar to the one that I use whenever I install new system software on my Macs. (I added two steps of my own).

1. My Steps: In Disk Utility,  I repaired my Permissions. After that, I ran Disk Warrior to create a new directory. This was being super cautious, but I wanted to eliminate all possible problems. I was on my second day of this installation and did not look forward to a third.

2. Here’s where Peter and I agreed: I shut the computer down and disconnected all of my external hard drives. I restarted the computer in my Administrator account. I inserted the Master Collection CS5 DVD and ran a “default” installation.

Voila! A couple of hours later, I was celebrating the complete installation of the Master collection.

But, I was celebrating too soon.

Problem #2: Although all of the programs could be found in my applications folder, with the exception of Photoshop and Bridge, none of them would start up. Most crashed before showing a flash screen. Dreamweaver was its same old self — simple the name in the menu and nothing else. And, to add a new wrinkle, I kept getting this same message when trying to save and change my preferences in Photoshop:

I won’t bore you with the steps I took to make sure I had the proper privileges to save the preferences. Suffice it to say, those steps did not work. I also “zapped my parameter RAM” on my Mac; still no help.

I was totally frustrated, again, so I fell back on a procedure I often follow when fighting software battles — I shut down the computer and rebooted into another Administrative Account that I created, long ago, for just this situation. It is a “pure” or clean account; I call it “Test” and only use it for troubleshooting. I’ve done nothing to change it from the day it was opened.

The theory is that if the software runs properly in this pure account, the problem is in my User account, not the software. Now that it was all loaded correctly, I had a base line installation to test. So I did.

And, Voila2, it worked perfectly in this account.

So, now I knew that I had a solid software installation. The problem was in my User’s account.

(For those of you Mac people who may be a bit confused by “User” and/or “Administrative” accounts, here’s the deal. Our Mac’s allow us to have multiple “user” accounts so that different people can use the machine. Each user can be assigned different privileges on the machine. The ultimate privilege, the power to do everything — including altering key settings and the way the computer runs — is called the Administrator’s privilege. If you have but one user, you, you are also the Administrator. It’s that easy.)

Many Mac people would advise someone in my position to simply create a new User’s account. But, the consequences of doing that are significant; I had a lot invested in this account and identity and did not want to have to recreate years of links and uses including the way my computer related to my iPhone, MobileMe and my laptop..

Here’s where Ben Levy — the consummate MacMan, saved the day. Instead of telling me to open an new identity Ben told me to:

1. Go into User>Application Support>Adobe and to move the “Adobe” folder to the trash. (I did, sort of. I took it out of the Application Support folder and stored in on my Desktop — just in case I needed it, later; I think I may be a “hoarder”.) and,

2. He told me to go into User>Preferences and remove EVERYTHING Adobe, including the “com.adobe …” stuff. (Once more, I sort of complied. I put that stuff in the “hoarder file” too.)

(For those slightly confused by the above, basically what you see is a road map that takes you from your drive into the specific folders holding the material to be removed. The “>” sign is a “go here” sign. So, in “1.”, above,  I started on my hard drive. Opened my User account. Within it I found the Application Support folder. Opened it and found the Adobe folder that I removed to the desktop.)

Ben told me that those steps would be the equivalent of creating a new “User” account as far as the Adobe products were concerned. What about the stuff I had thrown away? Like a lizard growing a new tail, the Adobe programs would create new, untainted files to replace them on the next start up.

And, when I started up, everything worked perfectly — and it still does.

Some Final Thoughts on the Struggle

OK, why was the installation on my laptop so successful and the installation on my desktop such a battle?

Here’s my theory, and it is only a theory:

As an NAPP member, I downloaded and Beta-tested CS5. I was extremely cautious when I did so. I used an external hard drive with its own operating system. When I wanted to test, I booted from and worked on that drive. Why? The word prophylactic comes to mind. I didn’t want any problems with my test software to move to my main hard drive.

But, Duh!!!, in moments of passion I forgot to use my safeguards. Instead of booting from the external disk, I booted from my computer and reached out to the external disk to run CS5. Somehow, I think this infected my user account.

To make matters worse, when CS5 hit the market, I placed my order. But, the software was not shipping. So I downloaded a trial version to another external drive and used that version until my DVD’s arrived. Again, too much passion and too little caution. I think the free trial also messed things up on my main drive.

Why did the laptop not suffer these discomforts? Because I never ran either version of CS5 on it.

Lesson Learned: From now on, if I ever run Adobe Beta software or use a trial version, I will run the Uninstaller and Script Cleaner BEFORE attempting to load my purchased version. And, I will go through my Mac folder to clean out the stuff mentioned above, too.

Unlike the Adobe rep on the help line, I have total confidence in the Adobe Uninstallers and Script Cleaners. They are edition specific. They did not alter my CS4 because I did not ask them to. They did exactly what they were supposed to do in the way they were supposed to do it. I will not hesitate to use them again.

Will I load test or free trial software again? I don’t know. As I sit here, today, having gone through this mess, I’d say not. But, who knows where my passion will drive me when the next versions come out. My guess is that, after the memory of the struggle fades, I’ll jump in to testing whatever new stuff comes out. But, I’ll make sure to practice safe testing. And, I’ll use the Adobe software to clean up before loading the final versions.

Of course, we all have to learn our own lessons. I post these not as a foolproof guide but only as a suggestion as to how to approach problems. Because installation issues are so idiosyncratic, I can’t tell you to do what I did or tell you that it will work. If you choose to try my steps, PLEASE minimize the inherent risks by backing up your drives BEFORE you try any of them (or any steps you read about or are recommended to follow — even by the Adobe rep’s).

My guess is that, because CS5 is so solid and installs easily on most computers, very few of you read this article. However, for those who did, I hope it helps. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me using the contact function on the home page.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)

So, the other night, when I heard her call out “Daddy, I need your help”, I was thrilled to jump in. I was needed. How cool.

Jen, her band’s historian, was making an iMovie for the final concert containing pictures and videos of the past year. One section includes baby pictures of the graduating seniors. And, that’s where I came in.

One of her close friends, Chirs, gave Jen a 2×3 picture his parents had taken and printed on highly textured paper. When Jen scanned it in, it looked like this — cute but, because the three dimensional texture lost its value in a one dimensional scan, it looked flawed. (In most browsers, if you click on the image below, it will get larger — and the texture will be even more obvious.

So, the cry went out for help. How did I remove the texture? Simple. Noiseware Professional.

I figured that the dots on the surface were the equivalent of “noise” — big noise, but noise nonetheless.

I didn’t use any custom settings. I just opened Noiseware used the “Full”, setting, pushed “OK” and, voila, the noise was gone.

So, now we had a nice, 2×3, noise free image.

To make it easier for Jen to incorporate into the show, I used onOne’s Genuine Fractals to do a seamless enlargement. I doubled its size without distortion.

And, here’s the final version:

Bottom Line: I’m not one who would use a hammer or a pair of pliers instead of a wrench. But, once I realized that the texture in the scan had all of the characteristics of “noise”, using Noiseware Professional was an easy tool choice.

And, yes, I know that there are little white specs all over the image that will need to be cloned or healed out. Like feeding herself, that’s Jen’s job. Now that she’s 18 and “grown up” my job starts when she asks for help and ends when she can do it for herself. When she asks, I love every moment I get to work with her.

One Last Thought: This image was taken by Chris’ parents. They owned the copyright. They, and Chris asked Jen to use the photo in her slide show. I asked, and received, their permission to write this article and use this photo.

My family has a lot of old images taken by my parents and other family members that were printed on textured paper; so were images I shot, years ago. This article is written for those of us who either own the copyright to images printed on textured paper or who have clients who own the copyright to images printed on textured paper — who want to clean them up or reproduce them in a legal way.

As photographers, we expect people to honor our copyrights and we should do the same. No technique should be used on an image we are not entitled, by law, to modify.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)

Because, if my head is not in the right place, if it doesn’t see clearly, if it cannot execute — no matter how creative my vision, I will fall flat.
That’s why I love books, video’s, conferences and seminars. And, that’s why I bought a subscription to Kelby Training — a subscription that has proved to be a very worthy long term investment in my creative future.

Simply stated, Kelby Training is an online site that gives us access to world renowned instructors teaching lessons in the things they know best.

The Faculty: Kelby Training modestly proclaims that it has “The Best Teachers On the Planet — All In One Place”. Actually, I think that might be true. Of course you get the “Photoshop Guys” — Scott Kelby, Dave Cross, Matt Kloskowski, and Corey Barker — all of whom are different, both in approaches to the material and teaching styles. And, then you add in 25, or so, more greats like Rafael Concepcion, Vincent Versace, David Ziser, David Cuerdon, Lesa Snider, Julieanne Kost, Laurie Excell, Eddie Tapp, and, one of my all time favorite instructors and personalities, Joe McNally.

This is a very diverse group of people. What I like most is that their differences show. And, because they are teaching things they do and love, their enthusiasm is catching. I’ve watched at least 50 hours of lessons, from a vast number of teachers and have not had one that I found boring, too confusing or hard to understand.

The curriculum matches the diversity of the faculty. As one might expect, the classes are heavily weighted toward photography. And, many are rooted in the Adobe Creative Suite. But, there are classes on Nikon’s NX2, Apple’s Aperture, and some on video. Some classes deal with creating images in the camera and others on post-production. Some deal with Illustrator, In Design, and Dreamweaver. Then there are those that teach us how to disseminate our work, either in print or online. Will we all want to watch every lesson? Of course not. But, the curriculum is sufficiently broad that most people will find relevance in most of the classes and never run out of new things to learn.

The lessons are timely, too. As soon as CS5 was announced, a host of tutorials appeared on the site — some for beginners and some for those who are more advanced. I’ve been watching them this week and I feel prepared to take advantage of the new features in CS5 as soon as I get my hands on the final version.

The interface is simple (with one hidden “gotcha”) and the production quality very high. The “gotcha”? When we go to watch a lesson, there are two checkboxes under the video window. They are easy to overlook. One, “Continuous Play” does what it says. It plays one lesson after the other without stopping between them. Cool. The other, “Remember My Position” is the one that got me; it keeps track of where you are in a lesson; if you log out, and come back later, it will take you to the exact spot where you previously were. Great. Unless you don’t want to go there. And, that’s how it got me. I wanted to look at something else. Try as I might, I couldn’t change classes. Until, in unchecked that box. It really is a good feature so long as you know to turn it off when you want to move to a new starting point. I do, now, and so do you. Other than that, this interface is strong and simple.

Enough general talk — let’s go to some lessons.

Note: All of the video’s of  the class segments below are the sole property of Kelby Training which owns their copyright. I am including in this review pursuant to their gracious consent to do so. The actual production quality on their site is better than that which I’ve been able to reproduce, here. However, they will give you some idea of the scope of content and quality of the teaching.

Why is this post in 3 parts? Because, with so much video embedded, the pages may load a bit slowly; PLEASE BE PATIENT,  give them some time; it’s worth the wait.

So, what have I learned?

1. From Dave Cuerdon: The Beauty and Retouching Kit

By giving me a set of techniques and the tools to implement them, Dave Cuerdon allowed me to take a quantum leap in the quality of my portrait retouching. And, he did it in a way that was so simple to learn that I was able to implement his lessons the day I learned them.

What do I mean by “giving a set of tools?” I mean that Dave gives us a toolbox full of things we’d have to buy elsewhere or create ourselves. From within the lesson, we can download a folder that contains some very sophisticated stuff. We get Actions, Brushes, Color Swatches, Custom Shapes, Textures and Tools. Not sure what to do with them. No problem. Dave teaches us how to load them into Photoshop and then, in the lessons that follow, he shows us how to use them.

Here’s a look at what’s in the Cuerdon toolbox:

If you do a lot of portrait retouching, this free toolkit will more than cover the cost of the online subscription.

Dave’s lessons focus on the face and its components.

The Eyes

We’ve all been taught the importance of getting the eyes right. Ever notice how new born babies stare into their parents’ eyes? Psychologists tell us that eye contact is the cornerstone or our interpersonal connections and communications. When we meet people, we look them in the eye. So it makes sense that when most people look at portraits, they look into the subject’s eyes. If they can make a connection, they are drawn into the image. If they cannot, they move on.

For many of us, eye retouching is a struggle — it’s often hard to figure out exactly what the goals are and what tools to use to achieve them.

Dave, inspired by Fay Sirkis, has created a system and set of tools to make this an easy task.

Simply stated, Dave has produced an action that creates a layer for each task we face in retouching eyes.

For each layer, Dave has selected the appropriate tool and settings. For many, the tool is the “right brush” (often one he has created and given us), set to the “right opacity” so that one can paint on the effect or localize it on a mask.

We get a complete brush set — the one’s I like best allow us to remove catchlights and replace them with better ones; to really make things look cool, we can also create a moon — that little curved reflection opposite the catchlight. Lately, I’ve been putting a little “creative confusion” in my images by removing the original catchlights and replacing them with something more “artistic”; I particularly like taking images that were clearly shot in the studio and putting in large “window” catchlights and moons.

Here’s a look at the layer set that I’ve put in a folder called “Eyes”:

Starting at the bottom of the stack we can see the logic in the order of Dave’s approach.

The first step is to clean up the eyes.

Then, if we don’t like the catchlight, we remove it; it will be replaced, later.

Most often, we will want to brighten the eyes; we do this with a curves layer that lightens the entire image and then covers it with a black mask; we paint, in white, on the mask over the part of the eyes we want to be brighter.

We do the same thing with Redness removal — this time using a Hue/Saturation layer set to diminish the amount of red in the eyes.

The Pupil layer allows us to create a nice, dark pupil — and to change its size .

The Iris layer allows us to either boost (saturate) or change the color.

On the Iris Ring layer we use one of Dave’s custom brushes to create a dark ring around the outside of the iris; a little free transform work will get the placement spot on; this ring really makes the eye jump off the page.

In the last two steps, we use more of Dave’s custom brushes to paint in a new catchlight and moon; sometimes I’m pleased with what I’ve captured; in that case, I don’t use the catchlight and moon layers.

At first, I was a bit intimidated. Nine different layers, each with a distinct set of tools and task, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to remember what to do.

Dave was 10 steps ahead of me. Knowing that there would be a learning curve, he created two versions of the same actions — one for beginners and the other for those who have mastered the techniques.

The beginner version — the one I still use even though I could use the advanced — lets us run each layer as a separate step. Push the start button and up comes an instruction window telling us what we will be doing. Push another button and we do it. When done, we go back to the play action button to bring up the next layer. There is no way to make a mistake in this system. It is fool proof.

Here’s an example of how the “Action with Stops and Instructions” guides us through the process:

The tools are all set to the parameters in the box. Once we understand the task, we push the button and do the work. When we are done, we play the next step in the action, get a new layer complete with instruction box. This really could not be any easier.

The “advanced” set is a bit different. Push the Play button and all of the layers appear without the instruction boxes. Once we understand, we can just push through them. (Why do I still use the beginner version? I like the rhythm of reading, doing, and moving on.)

Eye retouching? With Dave’s instructions and actions — a piece of cake. I do it in almost every portrait I retouch.

The Rest of the Face

Dave gives us the tools and knowledge to work on eye brows, eyelashes and eyeliner, skin retouching, lip treatments, teeth whitening, and, as a special treat — the application of digital tattoos. To give you a sense of the nature and style of these lessons, here’s the one on “facial contouring”:

As taken as I am with Dave’s creativity and native teaching skill — I think I’m most impressed by his generosity. Not many instructors would GIVE us these tools — tools most of us are used to paying for. I look forward to taking Dave’s other Kelby Training class – Fantasy Portraits.

Please Access Part 2 from the Home Page

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)

A month or so ago, I was able to download and Beta-test the new Photoshop release. There are some incredible new features — things like:

• “Content-Aware Fill”  – you know that odd shape you get when you stitch together a panorama? This tool will fill the gaps and make the image rectangular WITHOUT cropping away stuff we want to keep; I also think it will help with facial retouching in those tight areas where other tools often pick up dark spots or lines;
• a beefed up HDR section — which, for some users, may obviate the need for third party programs;
• a beefed up Refine Edge tool — which will make complex extractions a lot easier;
• an improved brush tool and interface — so those of us with Wacom tablets can change the way the brush interacts with the image by tilting the brush or applying differing pressures to it;
• “painting” tools — the ability to alter brushes and use color mixing to replicate painting styles — not a replacement for Painter, but an interesting alternative;
• A “Mini-Bridge” that minimizes the need to back and forth between two programs, Ps and Br; and,
• the new “Puppet Warp” tool — which, through some amazing magic, will let us correct posing flaws by simply bending the body; I think it will also be useful in doing some of the things we used to do with liquify in a much more controllable format.

Perhaps most important for Mac users is that CS5 will allow us to take advantage of the full power of our Intel processors — it will run in 64 bit mode. Posts on those features will come in due time.

But, before we get to use all these new tools and exploit all that horsepower, those of us who have an older version of Photoshop, like CS4, will have to successfully upgrade to the new version. Doing that is the topic of this post.

The Risk of Going First — And Some Safety Nets

I know a lot of people who won’t load software until at least two or three updates have been issued. I am not one of them. I ordered the Adobe Master Collection the first moment I could, and I will install it the day it arrives. Will there be issues? Probably. But, I’ve found that Adobe software, when released, is usually stable. However, sometimes there are issues not of Adobe’s making.  Once you’ve decided to go forward, here are some things to think about:

1. If you are cautious and risk averse — if you are the kind of person who does not want to take any chance that there will be hiccups in your installation — the cleanest path is to uninstall the old version and all of your add-ins and add-ons, and re-install everything from its original source discs. I know people who do it that way. However, doing so takes a lot of time. I’ve never done it that way and have yet to be punished for taking the route described below. But, I’m aware that there is always a first time.

2. More likely than not, when moving to the Mac 64 bit platform, we will have 3rd party software, usually plugins, that will have to be upgraded. As I write this article, I know that many of the plugins I use, on a daily basis, are not 64 bit compliant. Most of them should be by the time I receive my Master Collection.

However, if they are not, there are a couple of “work-arounds” I plan to follow:

1. I will leave my copies of CS4 installed on my computers until EVERYTHING in the new installation, including the new plugins, is working perfectly. I did the same thing when I moved from CS3 to CS4. I figured that if something failed, the older, stable version, was my safety net;

2. If my plugins are not updated by the time I’m using CS5, I will still be able to use them in CS4. I’ll start in CS5 and work there until I need the plugins. I’ll then save the file as a .psd, and both EXIT and SHUT DOWN CS5. I’ll then re-open the .psd in CS4 — where my plugins will be available and finish off there. Following this route, it is critical to shut down CS5. Both versions should not be running at the same time; and,

3. Another way to handle the plugin problem is suggested by NAPP’s Peter Bauer (more on Peter in a moment.) The “older versions” of the plugins, which are 32 bit, can run CS5 in 32 bit mode. To set that up, right click on the program icon, select Get Info, and activate “Open in 32 Bit Mode”. Of course, this will be like running a V12 Ferrari with 6 spark plugs disconnected, but it is a solution.

More likely than not, by the time most of us get our copies of CS5, the plugins will have been updated. But for those of us who will jump in early, no matter what, the work-arounds should keep us productive.

The Protocol I’m Going to Follow

A couple of years ago, before I started this blog/site, I wrote a newsletter and distributed it by email. One of the articles I wrote set forth a protocol for upgrading from CS3 to CS4. At the time, I had both versions, in hand, and could do the screen shots necessary to illustrate the article.

Unfortunately, as I write this,  I don’t have CS5 in hand. Knowing that most of us will be upgrading before I post the next round of content, I’ve decided to use that old newsletter article as the basis for this post. The screen shots may be different (or they may not), but the concepts and techniques are the same.

How do I know they will work with CS5? I asked Peter Bauer, that’s how.

Who’s Peter Bauer? The guy who knows the best way to do everything Photoshop.

Actually, until I met Peter Bauer at Photoshop World a couple of years ago, I didn’t think he was a real person.  I thought he was a computer. Peter is NAPP’s “answer man” – the guy who responds to all the tough support questions. The fact that he answered them so completely and quickly led me to believe he was a “virtual person”, not a human being. But, then I met him in the flesh. Peter is both knowledgeable and generous with his time.

So, when it was time to upgrade to CS4,  I wrote Peter to get his preferred protocol. I followed it and everything worked perfectly, from Day 1. In fact, it worked so well that, within a week, I deactivated and uninstalled CS3.

Note the “deactivate” part of that sentence. If you want to give your previous version away, or sell it, you have to “deactivate it” before uninstalling it. Adobe keeps track of he number of computers running a product on one serial number. Without a special license, I’m pretty sure the limit is 2 computers. If all one does is “uninstall” Adobe does not know that you aren’t using it. Only “Deactivation” sends the message that the license is not being used. On a Mac, the path to deactivation from within CS4 is: Menus>Help>Deactivate.

Step 1. Preserving 3rd Party Plugins, Actions, Custom Brushes and Textures

The upgrade process is as easy as putting in the new discs and letting them run. However, there are a couple of preliminary steps one must take to preserve and reinstall 3rd party plug-ins, and special things like custom actions, brushes and textures so that you can move them from CS4 to CS5.

Once more, if you are totally risk averse, the preferred procedure is probably to re-install all 3rd party stuff from the original discs or downloads. As anal as I am, that’s still a cumbersome process I avoid.

Before starting, we need to make sure we have the most current versions of all of the non-Adobe stuff – the stuff that will not be installed by CS5. And, we need to note which of those versions are CS5 compliant and which are not.

Non-Adobe Actions:

In saving and re-loading Actions, we work with “Action Sets”, not individual actions. So, it’s wise to put loose actions in a set.

Then, from the Actions Panel drop down menu, select “Save Actions”:

I’ll create a new folder on my desktop, “Saved Actions”, in which they will be saved. Follow the same procedure for all non-Adobe actions. The action sets will be saved with an “.atn” file extension.

Custom Brushes, Styles and Things Like That

One uses Edit>Preset Manager to create sets and save them in a manner similar to the one set forth above.

Here’s a picture of the Preset Manager. A couple of things to note: It, too, saves “sets”. When you first open it, the “Save Set button is likely to be grayed out. By selecting my custom brushes (more than one brush) I got the option to save them as a set. From that point on, the process is similar to the one that saved the actions. Just save them to a clearly labeled file on your desktop. The “Preset Type” drop down menu let’s you save other custom things. Here are your choices:

Just to be clear, by going through this process, we are trying to save all of the 3rd party or custom things that are not a part of CS5 and will not show up in CS5 unless we save them from CS4 and load them on our own.

When we’ve gone through all of the things in the Preset Manager and saved what is non-Adobe, we can Quit CS4. We’re done there.

Step 2. Installing CS5 and Loading the Non-Adobe Things We’ve Saved

Now, it’s time to install CS5 from the original DVD.

Peter reminds us to disable any anti-virus software (I’m a Mac, what is that?) and/or automated programs we might have. When I’m doing an upgrade like this, I turn every other program on my computer off.

After loading CS5, it’s time to upgrade it to make sure it has all of the current components. I use the Adobe Updater which, on the Mac, is under the Help Menu.

Peter also reminds us to get the latest Camera Raw plug-ins,by clicking here.

It’s now time to re-load your custom actions, using the LOAD ACTIONS button in the actions menu. And, in a like manner, it’s time to load the custom things you saved with the Preset Manager using the LOAD function there.

We are not done, yet. We still have one task left, we’ve got to install all of the 3rd party plug-ins, things like our onOne, Imagenomic, and Nik software.

For this task, Peter recommends something I’ve been doing since CS2 – something that has made my upgrades to CS3 and CS4 a lot easier.

Peter tells us to install those plugins to a new folder on our desktops. I’ve been calling mine “3rd Party Photoshop Plugins”. (I’ve also made similar folders for my 3rd party Actions and Presets.)

Once the plugins are loaded, we put them in the Photoshop CS5 folder. Then, we create an “alias” of those new folders and place the alias in the official CS5 plugins folder. The alias tells Photoshop that there are more plugins available and sends the program to the actual 3rd party folders, where it finds and loads them. Here’s my folder set up:

Notice the “3rd Party” folders. I’ve made an alias for each and put it in the appropriate “stock” Photoshop folders.

Here’s what the Plug-ins alias looks like in the Plug-ins folder:

I have a similar “alias folder” in the Presets file.

For the move from CS3 to CS4 all I had to do was move that folder from the CS3 file to the CS4 file and make and place a new alias. I’ll do the same thing when I move to CS5.

There is another advantage to segregating the 3rd party stuff from that which comes from Adobe. If ever you run into quirky program behavior, you can remove the aliases; that will bring the program back to its “native state”. If the problem goes away, you will know it is in the external folder. If it does not, you will know that the things in that folder are OK.

Either way, the “3rd party folder path” is really the way to go.

After the installation is complete, I open a file and run through all of the plugins. If they work, great. If not, I’d do a clean install from their original media. So far, I’ve never had to do a clean install. Everything has worked.

From what I’ve seen, we will want to make some changes in Adobe’s preferences file. I’ll write about them, later.

That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Not very hard to get right.

Once more, I want to thank Peter Bauer of NAPP for generously allowing me to share this protocol with you. As I’ve said before, my NAPP dues are probably the best investment I’ve made in my photography. I get the fabulous Photoshop User Magazine, a web site filled with tips, tutorials and forums, product discounts AND Peter Bauer. Can’t beat that for $99.

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)

The number one complaint I hear from my photographer friends is not about photography. It’s about web sites.

Web sites. The bane of our existence. Essential to our success but, until recently, frustrating to create and maintain.

For a couple of years, I struggled with a beautiful Dreamweaver site created by an artist friend. It looked great and worked well. But, I could not interact with it. If I wanted something done — the smallest thing like posting an article or image, I had to call the artist; and if he was busy, it didn’t get done. As much as I wanted to do it myself, to do so would have required learning Dreamweaver and probably some HTML. My head was too full. No more room at the inn. Didn’t want to do it.

And, then my web developer extraordinaire (who is also my cousin), Nina Sossen, told me about WordPress, and created this site. We bought a theme from Elegant Themes; but it did not look anything like what my site looks like. Nina skillfully designed and  implemented the look and feel of the site. I’m not sure any of us would be able to do what she did; it takes a real code jockey. If you want something unique — something that aesthetically expresses who you are, I strongly recommend that you contact Nina.

Once Nina got me up and running, WordPress has been a saviour. Today, I can do most anything that needs to be done to add content and maintain the site. When I get stumped, Nina is but a phone call away.

WordPress is FREE! I still pay for my domain names and for hosting, but the basic software is free.

Much like Photoshop, there are plugins that extend the functionality of WordPress. My calendar and galleries are controlled by plugins. So is my ability to embed my YouTube videos and other media.

I cannot tell you how happy I am with the switch to WordPress.

You don’t have a cousin Nina to teach you the basics? Don’t worry. Kelby Training has a great WordPress teacher.

R.C.’s Step-By-Step Tutorial — At the End, We Have a Web site

Want to create your own WordPress site? A total novice as to all things web site? No problem.

In two classes, in 31 easy lessons, R.C. Concepcion takes us, step by step, (and I mean small step by small step — there is no way to fall behind in these lessons) through the creation of our very own photographic sites. He starts with showing us how to get a domain name and set up a hosting account. Then he introduces us to FTP, the file transfer protocol we will use to send things to our site. From there we learn everything we need to create the look and feel of our site and load our pages with content.

These lessons are framed in a way that encourages us to build our own site as we watch them. Amazing, in a couple of hours, we can have a fully functional web site that we know how to run and modify.

Yes, WordPress is designed to be user friendly.

R.C. gives us the knowledge and confidence to take the first steps on the WordPress path. ALL new software is intimidating. But, not with R.C. guiding us through it.

He is an amazing teacher — well organized and calm. He just makes it seem simple. And, one of the nice things about creating the site while working through the lessons is that if we stub a toe, first aid is simply a button away — push “rewind” and watch again.

I first saw R.C. teach at a Photoshop world a few years ago. I so wanted to learn how to control my Dreamweaver web site that I took one of his classes. Although I soon realized that I did not want to make the investment in learning Dreamweaver, I watched a couple more — just because he was such a good teacher.

So, I was thrilled when I found the WordPress lessons on Kelby Training. This is the software for most of us who really don’t want to learn a new, difficult program. And, with R.C. leading us, we will get what we need, quickly and painlessly.

Want to go the full bore, hard core Dreamweaver route? R.C. has 5 different sets of lessons to guide you. And, he’s pulling a heavy oar in getting us up to speed on CS5 with courses on the new Camera RAW and Illustrator. R.C. is a rock solid, steady teacher — easy to follow, easy to like.

3. From Joe McNally: Perspective

Sometimes we get so focused on the technical aspects of photography that we lose sight of the fact that we are really in the “people” business. Joe McNally never lets us forget that:

I’ve written about Joe several times in my newsletters and on this site. He is an incredibly gifted teacher. Most see him as THE “off-camera-flash” guru of our time. He is that. But he is a lot more. Mingled in with the technical information in his DVD’s, seminars, books, and classes (there are nine of them on Kelby Training), are important philosophical and inspirational themes presented in the least pretentious way possible and in ways that make a great impact.

Want to learn everything there is to know about off camera flash? See Joe’s lessons on Kelby Training.

Want to learn things we need to know about being the kind of photographers who get the most out of their subjects and team? Look at those same lessons. Read his books. Watch his DVD’s and take his seminars. Joe McNally has made be a better photographer in all senses of the word.

Please Access Part 3 from the Home Page

(Copyright: PrairieFire Productions/Stephen J. Herzberg — 2010)