A great plug for NIK software!!

I attended a presentation for photo editing software package that has been designed for "photographers"and not graphic artists which will make a number of potential newcomers to photography very happy indeed! If you use Photoshop,Apertue or Lightroom, some of the features to help fix or improve a photo can be fantastic, but to just dive in and do all these magical treats quickly is not as always as easy as it seems! Some of you are probably quite versed with these programs but what makes NIK software so cool is the ease of how to achieve the functions NIK can offer. Nik Software, Inc. is a privately held company that develops software solutions for the growing digital imaging and photography markets. Established in 1995, Nik Software has become the recognized leader in digital photographic filter development and produces award-winning technology and software products for digital photography and imaging professionals including U Point® technology, Dfine®, Viveza®, Color Efex Pro™, Silver Efex Pro™, and Sharpener Pro™ software.NIK is a "plugin"that works with Photoshop,Lightroom etc and enhances the process of fixing or improving your shots.There are 6 different options which can be bought separately, (but buying all together is the best way) as all the different programs compliment each other and when you have 1 program, you need to have the others as well! And when you own the software( oh it also works with Photoshop Elements 7) you can go to the video training room and get showed how to use it!!!..Cant wait to get my copy soon!!

The change over to a new operating system!

Well I kept hearing about the SPEED and that's what I wanted!. My current ASUS note book was a Formula 1 of notebooks and it was running with VISTA and it was slow! Would Windows 7 be my savior for that SPEED my notebook was capable of? A quiet week was upon me(so I thought) and I bought a new HardDrive and a copy of Windows 7 and started installing. Now I know there must be a lot of short cuts to convert over to a new system but for me, it was about taking the HD out of my notebook and replacing it with the new one.(that happened a couple of times as I kept checking my regular work on my VISTA drive) There is nothing like a "fresh"operating system and Win7 had a lot to deliver. First thing to install after Windows was the Office suite. I have a number of email addresses and customising rules to make sure emails go into certain folders for easy filing(very involved!!) is very much a challenge and having to input these"rules"and all the mail settings for the addresses ÄND making sure it all worked with the new ""I Phone I also just got was just pushing my learning curving right around! Backing up documents and files is an automatic process with external drives for me but all the other"things like mail settings is something to remember as well". What about all the programs you use? Do you have all the discs to reinstall them?..Do you actually want to install them?..What about the bookmarks from your Web Browser....SO MUCH TO CHANGEOVER! Well I am now on Windows 7 fulltime and I do feel some extra speed ESPECIALLY on bootup and reboots but having some issues with the video card in the notebook. Every now and again the BLUESCREEN of death has been coming up but at least I know where the problem is and the Nividia graphics card is yet to make the drivers suit(yet!)....Things will get better This is what happens when you get new stuff in computers...but really...I got enough stuff I have to worry about...like take photos!!Will keep you posted on how we get on!!

What to look for in a tripod!

Over the last few weeks, I have had the pleasure of being with a number of enthusiastic student photographers who have wanted to get into some afternoon/dusk shots and the requirement is the use of a tripod. Tripods come in a number of different sizes but moreover they come in a number of different qualities. Tripods are used so as to get the best image results from landscape ,portrait and especially closeup photography without having to turn up the ISO setting which can be a detriment to the overall image. Whether using a lens to shoot the insides of a flower or trying to capture a bird in a tree with a telephoto lens, positioning the camera to get the right angle is not easy on low quality tripod. What people look at when buying a tripod is the weight in most cases but what needs to be looked at more importantly is the head that the camera attaches to. Apart from making sure the tripod has a detachable plate so as to be able to release the camera easily, look at the head and see how easy(or not easy) it is to adjust for smaller adjustments. When positioning your shot with a tripod, the frustration can be the minute movements you need to make to get the right compostion and the quality of tripod you get can make this a easy or very difficult process. Lower quality tripods have a tendency to "jerk" around when releasing the controls to move the head which becomes an infuriating process and makes you "not" want to use the tripod. Cheaper tripod heads are made of cheaper plastics and quite frankly a waste of money. You can get better "quality" plastic heads which will have a very smooth action and makes the composing of the shot quite easy. Metal heads tend to add weight to the overall tripod but also tend to be tougher especially if you use equipment in a less careful way! Apart from the head, the way the legs extend can also be a factor for frustration.Better quality brands will either use a "clip" style that can be a quick and easy way to lift or lower your tripod or some of the VELBON type have a "twist and turn" style which can make this tripod quite compact to carry. Make sure the tripod you buy suits the weight of your camera and be ready to get some great "sharp" photo everytime!