Since this is a busy travel month - Jim is conducting a workshop in Montana - so we decided to pull out of The Fotobug video vault, back in October 2011 - the first year Jim attended the Black Hills Photo Shootout.  It includes interviews with many instructors who are no longer part of the event.  This will be the ninth year of the Photo Shootout and registration is still open - blackhillsphotoshootout.myportfolio.com  Many sessions are filled up, but don't miss this event - last weekend in September!

In this episode, Jim and Fred give tips for traveling photographers!

First, recent photo news.  Walmart accidentally listed a DJI Inspire 2 and a Spark drone for $17.95 - no updates if they will honor the error.  The FAA is enlisting public feedback on the implementation of the LAANC to expedite access to additional areas for drone flights.  Adobe's latest update speeds up computers with more powerful GPUs. Neuralcam is a third party app for IOS that powers night photography with the iPhone using AI.  Even more news and details in the podcast.

Jim and Fred have traveled extensively and packing for a remote photo session can be a challenge - so they offer up tips and tricks and suggestions based upon their travel experience.  Things to consider are what to take, power requirements, airline restrictions, etc. Please offer up your own recommendations and suggestions!

The Black Hills Photo Shootout in Deadwood South Dakota is right around the corner - please join us!  Register at https://blackhillsphotoshootout.myportfolio.com

Since Jim is traveling (again!) - no photo news for this podcast, but we will be back with updated news for the next podcast!  

The Neewer 31.5" motorized slider is one of the latest among the "bargain" sliders for video and time-lapse.  However, there doesn't appear to be much compromise in quality featuring aluminum mount and carbon fiber rails.  Jim and Fred offer a first look at this new slider and promise to due a full feature review later - along with a YouTube post of how to assemble and set the time-lapse settings.   Be sure to subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube channel for even more goodies!

The Black Hills Photo Shootout is right around the corner - so why not sign up and meet us in Deadwood, South Dakota!  Registration is available at blackhillsphotoshootout.myportfolio.com/work 

In recent photograph news, Parrot confirmed they are leaving the toy drone market.  A UK photographer has turned a shipping camera into a giant camera! LAANC is now available in the US to allow drone pilots to more easily get permission to fly in previously restricted areas.  Wacom Tablet has released a new Cintiq that might be more affordable ($1200). VESA has released new details of the next DisplayPort which can handle video up to 16k.  Topaz has released Studio 2 - which might be a free upgrade for current users.  

A few episodes back, Jim and Fred posted a how-to to photograph a car and used speedlights fired remotely.  Viewers have asked just how to fire a strobe remotely, so in today's podcast, The Fotobug guys discuss techniques to do just that!  If  you have questions, or suggestions, be sure to leave them in the comments and please subscribe to The Fotobug YouTube Channel!

The Black Hills Photo Shootout is around the corner, last weekend in September and is now taking registrations for the weekend sessions.  Check out the podcast for information on how to register and watch the newly released Fotobug promo video for the event!

Aspiring filmmakers will love this episode!

In recent news, DJI issues a formal complaint to the BBC for negative drone coverage.  Canon decreased their profit by 40% year over year.  Flickr's custgmers are facing issues like missing photos, inability to login, and no customer support.  The Wingo Pro Kickstarter project we mentioned in the last podcast has been put on hold as GoPro has filed an intellectual property complaint.  Sigma has announced a full-frame L-mount mirrorless camera. DJI has released the Ronin-SC, a smaller version of the Ronin-S gimbal. Canon has filed a patent for a barndoor style lenscap/lenshood.  More in the podcast!

Frank Cappello is a filmmaker who wrote screenplays for Suburban Commando, American Yakuza, No Way Back, The Quiet Man, Constantine and others!  Frank just completed a new film which he wrote, directed, edited and even starred in with a tiny budget using consumer equipment!  The feature length film is now making it's way through the festival circuit.  Frank discusses the problems he encountered and entourages anyone who has ambitions to make a film to do it!  Don't let the lack of equipment stop you!  Check out more of the film Steele Wool at www.steelewool.com  .

The Black Hills Photo Shootout registration is now available - blackhillsphotoshootout.myportfolio.com/work so go and pick your sessions and sign up today!

In the latest new in the world of photography, DJI has disputed the Department of Homeland Security's claim that the China-based company is collecting logs and images to send back to the Chinese Government.  Fujifilm has issued an advisory that someone is selling counterfeit rolls of film bearing the 'Fujifilm' brand name.  Polish artist Michal Karcz shared a post that 500PX has asked him to no longer post his images on their site even though they once praised his work.  They claim they are photo manipulations and not photography.  The Wingo Pro is a Kickstarter project that uses a single action camera to simulate the 'bullet time' effect as seen in the movie "The Matrix".  Finally, you can pick up the Insta360 Titan 11k 360 degree cinematic camera for a cool $15,000!

Jim and Fred pay a visit to Jason Hahn's new location for the Cypress Creek Studio - more diversity, bigger area, larger studio space and now accommodates musicians as well as photographers.  During the recent basis the studio was hosting a modeling event with 50-60 models and photographers attending.  If you are in the Tampa area we encourage you to check out the new facility - www.cypresscreekstudio.com for more information and to sign up!

The Black Hills Photo Shootout is back again this year and will be in Deadwood, South Dakota.  Check out the Facebook page for information about registration.  There will be lots of new instructors, many previous instructors are returning and we recommend you save the dates for the last weekend in September!

Please tune into the podcast for all the latest photography news!  In summary, the winner of the African Geographic Photographer of the Year has been disqualified for photo manipulation. Facebook may be reconsidering their policy on nudity. DxO has updated the Nik Collection. A Sony investor wants the sensor division to be a separate company. Researchers have developed an AI program that can animate a figure from a single photograph or artwork!  Watch the podcast for even more!

Jim purchased the HP Zbook X2 G4 2 in 1 computer and has now had 3 months to work with it.  HP worked with Adobe to produce a laptop that is optimized for Photoshop, Premiere, After Effects and other Adobe graphics products.  However, the machine does have some issues despite the high price tag and specifications - many due to HP!  Jim explains and discusses the Good, Bad and Ugly issues with the machine as well as dealing with HP ordering and product support!

If you have experience with HP and/or the Zbook line of computers, please leave comments!

The Black Hills Photo Shootout will take place this year the last weekend in September, this time in Deadwood, South Dakota.  Keep tuning in for more details as they are released, including registration.

Before we get into the tutorial, first recent photography news!  

Ricoh has reported that it will not drop the Pentax name and are planning more Pentax products.  The FAA has expanded LAANC to increase access for commercial drone pilots in controlled airspace.  Sony has reportedly overtaken Nikon for the largest market share in the global digital camera market, based upon revenue. Alter RFS is a hinged camera filter holder now available on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. North Face has placed themselves in hot water by replacing images on Wikipedia with its own images to promote the brand!

In this episode, Fred and Jim demonstrate how to photograph a car - and make it look good!  One important criteria was to use minimal equipment.  In this example, simple speedlights were used along with a softbox and a flash trigger (all Canon equipment - but any camera manufacturer's camera and flash can be used!).  In addition, a second method is discussed in case you only have a single flash.  Simply lock the camera down on a tripod, using a hand-held speedlight - use the camera pop-up flash or a flash trigger and take several images of the automobile from different angles.  Finally - stack the images in Photoshop and use the Lighten mode on each upper layer to apply the lightest part of each image to the final scene.  You may also apply masking to the various layers and even adjust opacity as needed!  

Please post any questions - check out The Fotobug YouTube channel (and please subscribe!) and please share any of your images with us!

News Flash!  We were informed just before we began to tape the podcast that the Black Hills Photo Shootout will take place this year in Deadwood, South Dakota.  We will keep you updated as details become available - save the date, Sept. 27, 28 and 29th!

Lots of news to share! As always more details in the podcast!  Adobe Creative Cloud will no longer allow downloads more than two versions back.  Also, companies that haven't updated Creative Cloud could be facing fines or lawsuits!  DJI has released an action camera - the Osmo.  Adobe is looking for beta testers for Photoshop for the iPad. FAA has tightened rules for flying near airports with control towers for non-commercial pilots. Also DJI will being including ADS-B in their drones to notify pilots of nearby helicopters and airplanes.

Jim and Fred visit one of their favorite places in Florida for nature photography - Circle B Bar Reserve (4399 Winter Lake Rd, Lakeland, FL 33803) not far from Orlando and Tampa.  Lots of Florida wildlife can be found there, just bordering Lake Hancock: alligators, bobcats, herons, eagles, turtles, limpkins, moor hens, palliated woodpeckers, hawks, osprey and lots more! Great place to add to your list if you visit central Florida although, be aware that some of the trails are closed when the alligators begin to nest in late spring and early summer.  No charge to enter and plenty of parking (and hiking!).  Be sure to bring sunscreen, mosquito repellent, a hat, good walking shoes and plenty of free memory on your cards!

More photo education in today's podcast, but first recent photo news!

A drone pilot managed to capture some amazing videos of a tornado in Oklahoma that even impressed meteorologists!  DJI has partnered with RMUS to provide drone training in the US. If you are a Mac user and still use Aperture, be aware that Aperture will no longer work after upgrading the OS to Mojave. B&H circumvents online sales tax collection with it's new PayBoo credit card.  Adobe may raise the monthly fee for the Creative Cloud Photo Bundle (Photoshop and Lightroom) to $20 and include 1TB of cloud storage. DJI is introducing an Osmo action camera to compete with GoPro!

If you are still shooting JPG, then please pay attention to today's photo lesson!  RAW gives you more control over your final image and has lots of advantages over JPG and you needn't be afraid of processing the images on your computer.  There are even many free software solutions out there, so cost is not an excuse to using RAW capture.  There are more photo lessons on The Fotobug YouTube channel and we would appreciate if you would subscribe to our channel!  More goodness to come!  Please leave your thoughts or comments on RAW vs JPG capture!