2014 Schedule of Workshops and Seminars

2013 was a great year! 

I was able to share my love for Photography. digital post processing and the unique landscapes of the Southwest with many new students and old friends and colleagues. 

I am teaching with Arizona Highways Photo Workshops and Southwest Perspectives Photo Workshops as well as my own private classes and sessions

I am looking forward to another educational,  creative and adventurous New Year.  My schedule for the year is filling up nicely.

Please join me on one of my an upcoming workshops

Lightroom 101                                February 15

California –Big Sur                         Feb 22 – March 1

Lightroom 102                                March 8

Advanced Photoshop                             March 22, 2014

Magical Monument                                 March 28 - 31

Slots Canyon                                               April 7-11, 2014

White Sands                                                April 13 - 16

Havasupai Falls                                                 April 28 - May 2, 2014

Spring in Sedona                                              May 12 -14

Lightroom 101                                                  May 17

Lightroom 102                                                  May 31

Sedona Full Moon                                           June 10 - 12

Grand Canyon Lightroom                             August 7-10, 2014

Image to Output – HartPrairie                   October 3-5, 2014

Lightroom 101                                                 November 1, 2014

Lightroom 102                                                 November 15, 2014

More to be added as the year progresses!

Outdoor Photographer Magazine

5.3 is ready for download!

Some of you may have already downloaded the beta version of 5.3.

This is a free update with new lens support and a few bug fixes.  To download this update just open Lightroom and you should be prompted automatically.  If not, go to HELP>CHECK FOR UPDATES

Adobe also released ACR v. 8.3

A few new shortcuts go along with this:

Some of you may have already downloaded the beta version of 5.3.This is a free update with new lens support and a few bug fixes.  To download this update just open Lightroom and you should be prompted automatically.  If not, go to HELP>CHECK FOR UPDATES

Adobe also releases ACR v. 8.3




A few new shortcuts go along with this:


•                Shift+double-clicking on the White Balance label sets the Temp and Tint sliders to their Auto White Balance settings and the WB menu to “Auto”. (This is different from the existing behavior of Opt/Alt-clicking or double-clicking on the WB label, which resets the Temp and Tint sliders to their “As Shot” values, and the WB menu to “As Shot”.)

•                Shift+double-clicking to set the auto values for the Whites and Blacks sliders will now take into account current non-default settings, as well as other factors such as the current crop.

•                Shift+double-clicking on the Temp or Tint slider label sets each to its Auto White Balance value.

Newly added support for Tethered Capture in Lightroom 5.3

Canon EOS Rebel T4i / EOS 650D / EOS Kiss X6i

Lightroom 5.3 RC Bug Fixes (provided by Adobe):

•                Issues when upgrading catalog from previous versions of Lightroom.

•                Incorrect photos are displayed after switching away from a Publish Collection.

•                Catalog optimization did not finish, and was not optimizing the catalog

•                Feather of clone spots is set to 0 after upgrading catalog to Lightroom 5.

•                Auto White Balance settings are not saved to Snapshots.

•                Sony 18-55mm lens is detected as the Hasselblad 18-55mm lens for lens correction.

•                Increased Update Spot Removal history steps when in Before and After view.

•                Slideshows start playing automatically even when the Manual Slideshow option is enabled.

•                On certain images, red eye removal behaved incorrectly

•                Incorrect White Balance settings applied when synching Auto WB from source to targets

•                Video playback stops when dragging on the scrubber.

•                Errors when publishing photos to Flickr through the Publish Service.

•                Option + drag on Edit Pin behavior is functioning incorrectly.

•                Black border appears around the exported slideshow video.

•                Catalog containing images processed with PV2003 were adding a post-crop vignette when catalog upgraded to Lightroom 5.

•                Pressing the “Reset” button while holding down the Shift key caused Lightroom to exit abruptly.

•                Output Sharpening and Noise Reduction were not applied to exported images that were resized to less than 1/3 of the original image size.

•                The Esc key did not exit the slideshow after right clicking screen with mouse during slideshow playing.

•                Import dialog remained blank for folders that contain PNG files with XMP sidecars.

•                Metadata panel displayed incorrect information after modifying published photo. Please note that this only occurred when metadata was changed after the photo was published.

•                In the metadata of exported files, the application is listed as 5.0 instead of the actual Lightroom version (such as 5.2, etc.).

•                An Error Occurs When Playing a slideshow having an image Flipped Horizontally or Vertically.

•                Added Camera Matching color profiles (Natural, Muted, Portrait, Vivid) for the following
Olympus cameras: E-5, E-M1, E-M5, E-P1, E-P2, E-P3, E-P5, E-PL1, E-PL1s, E-PL2, E-PL3,  E-PL5, E-PL6,  E-PM1, E-PM2, STYLUS 1, XZ-1, XZ-2, XZ-10

Lightroom 5.3 New Lens Profiles (Mount – Lens):

         Apple – Apple iPhone 5s

         Canon – Canon EF-M 11-22mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

         Canon – Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS STM

         Canon – TAMRON SP 150-600mm F/5-6.3 Di VC USD A011E

         DJI – Phantom Vision FC200

         Nikon – Nikon 1 NIKKOR AW 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.6

         Nikon – Nikon 1 NIKKOR AW 10mm f/2.8

         Nikon – Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 58mm f/1.4G

         Nikon – Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

         Nikon, Sigma – Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM A013

         Sony – Sony 16-35mm F2.8 ZA SSM

         Sony – Sony 24-70mm F2.8 ZA SSM

         Sony – Sony 70-200mm F2.8 G SSM II

         Sony – Sony E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS

         Sony – Sony E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS

         Sony  -Sony E 20mm F2.8

         Sony – Sony FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS

         Sony – Sony FE 35mm F2.8 ZA

         Sony – Sony FE 55mm F1.8 ZA

Gained 30GB of space on Startup Disk!! GMAIL settings

I have been plagued with these constant messages on my MAC over the last couple of months.  I dutifully followed all the common suggestions to clean up and recover more space.

I deleted all unnecessary video files, deleted trash, even moved my iTunes library to a separate drive.  All these helped....A LITTLE...FOR A WHILE.

Yesterday I was down to 5 GB of free space on my start up drive!  This morning I actually watched it go down to ZERO!  Something was eating up my drive space..I was on  mission to find the culprit or culprits.

I downloaded a nifty FREE little program called OMNI SWEEPER

http://omnidisksweeper.en.softonic.com/mac

This allowed me to see into the inner guts of my system to see what was taking up and eating so much space.  

#1 was GMAIL

#2 was Adobe Raw Caches

I cleared the Adobe Raw Caches and freed up 10GB!! I Also went into the preferences in Photoshop and Lightroom and MOVED the cache over to another disk (not the start up disk)

I found in users/smathia/library a folder that contain over 20GB of "recovered messages"

Even after deleting the folder, Mail recreated it and continued downloading the message from Gmail. To solve the situation, I opened the Mail Preferences (Command + , ) and chose both my GMAIL accounts, I clicked on the Advanced tab and changed the "Keep a Copy for Offline viewing" setting below:

I am one happy camper now!!!

40GB of free space

GPS Tracking app - Lightroom Maps - EASY PEASY

Just came back from teaching a couple of workshops in Colorado and Flagstaff.  I used this opportunity to test out a mobile GPS tracking system.  My cameras do not have built in GPS and I was looking for an easy solutions to import GPS info into the MAPS module of Lightroom.










I downloaded an app called GPStrack onto my iPhone.  Turned on tracking when I left and turned it off when I got home.

GPSTrack allows you to use the GPS receiver in your iPhone or iPad to show your current location and create a log of your travels.

GPSTrack can record your location in the background, so you can continue to use your iPhone for other tasks while your location is recorded.

When recording a track, GPSTrack can show a map with your path, updated in real-time.

Saved tracks can be exported via e-mail in GPX and KML formats, useful if you want to geotag photos from a camera that doesn’t have GPS support.

This tracking went on in the background without any intervention from me...in other words, idiot proof!

Easily imported the .gpx into the MAP module in Lightroom and TA DA...all my images from that trip are pinned perfectly on the map with all the GPS coordinates, time and location. I can see the image from the exact location!

This will be a marvelous tool for scouting and planning future trips, captioning my images, and using yet another great tool in Lightroom to its fullest!

GPSTrack 2.2 can be dowloaded from itunes - the website for the developer is bafford.com/gpstrack

Lightroom 5.2 now available!

Lightroom 5.2 has been in Release Candidate mode for a while now and I know some of you have already downloaded it and are enjoying the new features.  It’s now in official release and is available in the update menu in Lightroom.

The Spot removal tool now includes a feather slider to control the hardness of the edges when cloning or healing.  Also where is decides to pick it’s source has been greatly improved and works so much better with textured areas of the image. It will also try to limit the source to areas within a cropped image.

A smoothness adjustment slider has been added to the detail panel under Color Noise Reduction that helps reduce low frequency color mottling

Smart Preview size has been increased to 2560 pixels on the long edge

Local Adjustment Brush refinements:

▪                Right Click (PC) / Control-click (Mac) on a brush adjustment pin to bring up a context menu to duplicate or delete

▪     Control+Alt+Drag (PC) / Command+Option+Drag (Mac) on a brush adjustment pin to clone (duplicate) that adjustment

Added cameras and lens support

A few bug fixes:

The following bugs that were part the Lightroom 5 have been corrected.

▪                Catalog containing images processed with PV2003 were adding a post-crop vignette when catalog upgraded to Lightroom 5.

▪                Pressing the “Reset” button while holding down the Shift key caused Lightroom to exit abruptly.

▪                Output Sharpening and Noise Reduction were not applied to exported images that were resized to less than 1/3 of the original image size.

▪                Incorrect photo was selected when trying to select a photo in segmented grid in Publish Services.

▪                The Esc key did not exit the slideshow after right clicking screen with mouse during slideshow playing.

▪                Import dialog remained blank for folders that contain PNG files with XMP sidecars.

▪                Metadata panel displayed incorrect information after modifying published photo. Please note that this only occurred when metadata was changed after the photo was published.

Go ahead and update – this is included free

Adobe listened? Creative Cloud Package just for Photographers

The backlash and complaints surge after Adobe's announcement  making its Creative Cloud product suite a subscription-only service. This has been especially true for Photographers who may not need all the programs in the all encompassing package that is too expensive and more than what we need.

In response to that criticism, Adobe has just announced a pared down package for photographers, which includes Photoshop CC, Lightroom, 20GB of cloud storage, and a Behance ProSite for $9.99 a month. The Adobe service, dubbed the "Photoshop Photography Program," was announced during the opening keynote at Photoshop World in Las Vegas.

 "Since introducing Photoshop CC, we’ve listened to feedback from a spectrum of our customers, from advanced professionals to casual enthusiasts," Winston Hendrickson, Adobe's vice president of Engineering, Digital Imaging, wrote on Adobe's Creative Layer blog today. "One common request was a solution specifically tailored for photographers. We listened, and at Photoshop World we’re announcing a special offer for our loyal Photoshop customers."

*** The one catch is that to eligible for the offer, you must already own Photoshop CS3 or higher.  Note that this is NOT an "introductory price." It's offered to anyone who signs up for the Photoshop Photography Program by December 31, 2013.

The deal will be available in the next few weeks at the same time as Adobe introduces final version of Lightroom 5.2. update.

Stay tuned

How To Get Those Fabulous Fireworks Images – Photo Tutorial by Suzanne Mathia

Fourth of July is right around the corner.  With the advent of digital photography, photographing fireworks has become easy and fun, just by following some basic steps. With a little planning and a bit a practice you can get some truly spectacular and creative images

Here's how to do it:

A little planning goes a long way.

Take a little time before the show to scout the location. Determine where the fireworks will be launched and then try to find a clear, unobstructed view. You don't want to be in the middle of a crowd, with people wandering in front of the camera or bumping into your tripod. Avoid any other light sources such as streetlights to avoid the possibility of light flare. Watch out for tree branches and electrical wires that can sneak into your composition.

Be aware of smoke. If you can figure out which direction the wind will be blowing then try to position yourself upwind so the smoke will blow away from you. Smoke will really light up with the bursts, and if it’s between you and the fireworks then your photos will suffer and look...well smokey!.

Put the camera on tripod. Use a cable release or remote control so there will be no movement when you open the shutter. You want your camera to be as solid as a rock during the long exposures necessary for fireworks photography otherwise the smooth paths of light the fireworks create will appear jagged blurrey and messy.

Orient the camera on the tripod vertically as opposed the horizontal landscape orientation as this gives a better composition as the fireworks soar vertically into the sky.

Set the lens to manual focus and set it to the ∞ (infinity) mark. (Take a small flashlight with you so you can see your camera controls after dark)

Set the camera on "B" or "Bulb." When you press the shutter, or cable release the camera opens to light, and stays open until you release it.  You have full control over how long an exposure you get.

Shoot at the lowest ISO for the best results. 100 for Canon, 200 for Nikon. (Turn off ISO AUTO if you have it) you want a nice long exposure with as little digital noise as possible.

Start with an aperture opening of f8 or f11 and f 16.  These seem to work well for fireworks photography. The type of lens you choose will depend on your proximity to the show but generally a good telephoto zoom will give you the most flexibility.  I use a 70 – 200mm. However, if you are really close to the action a wider angled lens can work beautifully. 

All set up and ready to go…take some test shots of the first fireworks. Open the shutter at the first burst. Hold it open several seconds, until that burst is finished.  See how it looks.  Try different lengths of time and find the speed that you like best. Then hold it open longer and allow several bursts to appear in one shot. Leaving the shutter open for multiple bursts makes it look like they all went off at the same time and can look spectacular.  However, there’s a limit, leaving the shutter open for too long and too many bursts may end up in overexposed areas and too much confusion so strike a happy medium.

Another trick is to have a small piece of black cardboard with you.  Take an exposure through one burst, cover up the front of your lens with the black cardboard then take it off when the next one goes off. You can get some amazing “multiple exposures” with this method.

Look at your shots in the LCD and check your histogram.  You may need to open up or close down your f stop or increase or decrease how long you leave the shutter open.  Try different lengths of exposures throughout the evening.  There will be lots of busts and plenty of opportunities to get it just right.

If the fireworks aren’t bright enough open up you f stop (f8 instead of f11) the brightness of the burst does not vary by the amount of time the shutter is open.  If the Sky is looking too bright then decrease the amount of time the shutter is open.  The sky or ambient light is what is affected by shutter speed. Although this is very easy fix in postprocessing (photoshop or Elements) by increasing the Darks or changing the black point in your image.

Now you have the shots you want , get creative and think outside the box. Add foreground elements to your composition.  People, a bridge, children staring skyward.  Silhouettes of the onlookers to give a sense of location to your picture. Look for reflections in buildings or in lakes or pools. Look for the little details that make this day memorable. Now you can also throw out the “rules” Move your camera during the shot for an interesting effect.  Zoom in or out as the fireworks go off. Use flash to light up the foreground. Turn your camera horizontally. Be creative, experiment and most of all have fun!