Fotobug - Elusive Image Photography

Fotobug - Episode 168 - White Sands New Mexico

Welcome to podcast 168 of The Fotobug!  In recent news, Google will be shutting down Panoramio, its website for sharing photos of the world on November 4th. One of Ansel Adam's view cameras will be auctioned off and is expected to bring in $100,000!  BenQ has announced a new high dynamic monitor at PhotoPlus Expo.  Also, the winners of the 2016 Wildlife Photographer of the year and the Landscape Photographer of the year have been announced.  A Swedish court recently ruled that any drone carrying a camera is a surveillance device and must have a license.  A British company is selling a $21,800 DJI Phantom 4 that is gold plated.

Jim just returned from a 4 week trip to the American West before attending the Black Hills Photo shootout and shares some images, timelapse and videos of White Sands National Monument in New Mexico.  White Sands is located near the testing ground for the first atomic bomb test - Trinity.  Highly recommended if you visit New Mexico!

Jim is about to travel to Cuba and so next time, The Fotobug will feature Saguaro National Park in Arizona and an interview with our old friend, Mike Pendergast - Sparky!

Fotobug - Episode 167 - Highlights 2016 Black Hills Photo Shootout

Jim and Fred have returned from the Black Hills Photo Shootout and Jim from his extended trip to western National and several state parks.  More to come on these parks in future episodes.  In the news, Epson has announced a partnership with UAV maker, DJI in order to allow the use of Epson's Moverico Augmented Reality glasses.  Shutterstock now has a plugin for Photoshop to import images directly.  Getty responded to the $1 billion dollar lawsuit against it claiming the images are in the public domain and are no longer controlled by the photographer. Fujifilm is introducing a medium format digital camera. GoPro finally released the Karma drone, but has been upstaged by DJI's new Magik portable drone.  GoPro has also released the new Hero 5 action camera.  Flickr Marketplace is being shut down over a lack of sales.

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Jim and Fred did a live Facebook from South Dakota and present a short reel of some of the highlights from the 2016 Shootout.  This year there were two extended workshops, one before the Shootout in Custer State Park of the Bison Roundiup and a few after at Teddy Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.  We hope to see many of you at next year's Shootout as well as the 2017 Tampa Bay Photo Shootout which will be taking place in the early spring.  A big shout out to many of our fans and viewers as well as the sponsors, workshop leaders, volunteers, and all who attended the many workshops.  Jim and Fred also feature an interview with workshop leader, author and photographer, Dick Kettlewell!

Jim will be featuring video from many of the national parks he visited in future podcasts as well as reviews of the new Pulse from Alpine Labs, the Rollocam, and lots more - so be sure to stay tuned and subscribe!  For those of you who attended the workshops, we want to see your images!!

Fotobug - Episode 166 - Vanelli Glamour Studio Shoot - Part 2

The weekend this podcast goes live, Jim and Fred will be wrapping up the Black Hills Photo Shootout in Spearfish, SD.  Hopefully you followed the Shootout on the Black Hills Photo Shootout Facebook page for live broadcasts from the event.  Now it is time to plan to attend the Tampa Bay Photo Shootout coming up in the spring of 2017!

This episode is the second and final part of the day Jim and Fred spent with Vanelli in his studio for a photo shoot for Teen Vogue Magazine.  Especially if you want to improve your use of studio strobes and posing, you will want to watch this podcast.  We are also very grateful to Vanelli for allowing us to videotape behind-the-scenes of one of his studio shoots.  You can learn more from Vanelli from his posts at www.photofocus.com and his website, http://exposurepas.com

Be sure to tune into the next podcast for highlights of the Black Hills Photo Shootout!

Fotobug - Episode 165 - Vanelli Glamour portrait - Part 1

Jim and Fred are busy getting ready for The Black Hills Photo Shootout taking place Sept 1, Oct 1 and 2.  There is still time to register!  Just go to www.thephotoshootout.com and sign up.  Also The Fotobug guys are going to be broadcasting at various times on Facebook from the Shootout!  To participate, post live comments or ask questions, Follow The Black Hills Photo Shootout Facebook page.  We hope you can attend, but if not, you have an option of helping us with our live broadcasts!

While Jim and Fred are traveling, Vanelli allowed them to photograph a glamour shoot for Teen Vogue magazine and we will present the behind the scenes photo shoot in the next two episodes!  Here is your chance to see how a commercial photo shoot is put together.  Also, but sure to watch for tips from Vanelli in what we call 'Pure Vanelli Extracts"!  You can learn more from Vanelli from his posts at www.photofocus.com and his website, http://exposurepas.com

Next time, Part 2 of the glamour shoot and more tips from Vanelli!

Fotobug - Episode 164 - Vanelli Sports Portraits

The Black Hills Photo Shootout is right around the corner!

In recent news, Canon will bring a new Wi-Fi connectivity option to the EOS 7D II, 5DS and 5DS by way of an adapter that fits into the camera's SD slot.  Edelkrome has launched Wing, a non-motorized sliding armature that attaches to a tripod and glides a camera in a straight line without rails.  Google has developed a way to use neural networks to compress image files in a more efficient way that current compression methods.  The new Canon 5D MK IV reportedly has a rolling shutter issues, especially when recording in 4K. The Boulder/Telluride Photo Festival was cancelled at the last minute and email notifications went out the day it was to begin. See below if you had registered for the Photo Festival as we are offering those photographers a discount for The Black Hills Photo Shootout.  FInally, Eye-fi relented and released a Windows as well as a Mac version of software for X2 cards!

Fred and Jim take a trip to visit Vanelli and spend the day with him at his Melbourne, FL studio.  He permits The Fotobug guys to go behind the scenes and watch how he creates his incredible sports portraits. Even if you aren't into portrait photography, you won't want to miss this episode!  You can learn more from Vanelli from his posts at www.photofocus.com and his website, http://exposurepas.com

Finally, it isn't too late to register for The Black Hills Photo Shootout taking place Sept 30, Oct 1 - 2 in Spearfish, SD.  Go to to register here - www.thephotoshootout.com.  If you can't make it, follow The Black Hills Photo Shootout Facebook page as the Fotobug Guys are going to do some live Facebook broadcasts during the event.  You can ask questions and participate from afar!  Jim will also be posting live Facebook posts on The Fotobug Facebook page on his extended trip to South Dakota!

More from Vanelli coming up next time!

Fotobug - Episode 163 - Review of Breakthrough Photography Filters

Before we get to today's review, in the news News Corp Photographer Brett Costello had his bag of photo gear stolen in Ipanema while photographing the Rio Olympics. In a twist, the thief later showed up at an Olympics venue wearing Brett's photo vest and was promptly arrested!  On1 is soliciting feedback and suggestions for their new Raw convertor.  F-Stop gear announced that their Kickstarter project bag is not practical to bring to market but others are screaming "scam"! NASA is testing a video camera that can record HDR video!  Seagate announced a 60TB SSD drive, Eye-Fi announced they will continue to support older cards on the Mac platform and the Brooks Institute announced it is closing down.

Breakthrough Photography (www.breakthrough.photography) designed new ND and Polarizer filers and claim they are color neutral.  So, the Fotobug guys decided to put them to the test  Our methodology includes photographing a gray card without a filter with the camera set to a fixed white balance. We then took the same image with the X4 ND 6 stop filter, then the polarizer.  But they didn't stop there!  They also included a Cokin style 3 stop ND filter and a variable ND filter.

Next, the images were brought into Photoshop and took color samples of the gray card to compare to the image photographed without a filter.  For the full results, watch the podcast!

Coming up at the end of September is the Black Hills Photo Shootout!  www.thephotoshootout.com.  Registration is now open so we hope to see you in South Dakota!  For those who can't make it, but would like to participate, The Fotobug guys are going to do at least 1 live Facebook video broadcast from the event!  Follow us on The Fotobug Facebook page or the Black Hills Photo Shootout Facebook page for the exact time and date of the broadcast.  This will give you a chance to participate, ask questions and be a part of The Photo Shootout!

Fotobug - Episode 162 - Kathryn Dow

The latest podcast features an interview with Kathryn Dow!

In the news, a Tokyo company has successfully crowdfunded a glasses-mounted camera that takes a picture when the wearer winks or blinks.  Verizon will acquire Yahoo and web properties for $4.83 billion.  EyeEm is making it easier for users of Flickr to move their images to its service if you are concerned about the future of Flickr.  Adobe has released Lightroom for Apple TV.  Getty images has been sued for $1 billion by a photographer who claims Getty has been profiting off images she submitted to the Library of Congress.  She had received a letter from Getty accusing her of infringing copyright of her own images!  Watch the podcast for more!

Kathryn Dow is a nature photographer who specializes in birds.  She is originally from New England and moved to Florida several years ago.  She formerly worked for Hunts Photo.  Jim and Fred caught up with Kathryn at Fort DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg Florida.  Kathryn shares information about some of her favorite photos and offers photographic tips.  Kathryn recently conducted workshops at the Spacecoast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville and also the Tampa Bay Photo Shootout.  We know you will not want to miss this interview and we know we will be seeing a lot more of Kathryn's work!

Registration is now open for the Black Hills Photo Shootout taking place Sept. 30 - Oct 2 in Spearfish South Dakota.  Go to www.thephotoshootout.com to sign up!  Don't delay, as workshops tend to fill up fast!

Fotobug - Episode 161 - DSLR Video tips

Jim and Fred share tips for using the video side of your DSLR camera!

In recent news, a clever photographers attached a strobe to a drone and used it to illuminate kayakers in near darkness dropping down a 60 foot waterfall.  Parachut is a new subscription based service that allows you ro lease camera equipment for as long as you want.  The service runs 4149 a month.  Hasselblad and DJI have teamed up to create a long-range drone that will be fitted with a 50MP CMOS sensor.  Software distributor Globell has announced a new screen calibration device which is now a Kickstarter campaign.  Another crowd funded project on Indegogo is Cheeringtech, to create a lighter and smaller remote trigger for DSLRs.

If you are ignoring the video capabilities of your DSLR camera, then you are only using 1/2 of your camera!  You paid for the ability to shoot video, so why not use it!  Jim and Fred share some quick tips to help you capture great looking video that you will be proud to share on your favorite social media site.  Sometimes a video capture is better than a still capture! Don't be afraid to use your camera's video mode and be sure to watch this episode to get the best video out of your camera.

A special deal for our listeners and friends!  M&M Photo Tours have a couple open spots for a capitol tour of Europe.  Book the tour and M&M will knock $1000 of the tour price!  Go to www.mmphototours.com for more information.  The tour price is all-inclusive and even includes airfare from LA.

Coming up - The Black Hills Photo Shootout in South Dakota.  See www.thephotoshootout.com for information and registration will be opening soon!

Fotobug - Episode 160 - First Look - DJI Phantom 4

Jim and Fred take a look and test out the new Phantom 4 from DJI.

In recent news, you may have noticed when you upgrade Photoshop to the latest 2015.5 version, all the plugins vanish!  Jim and Fred give a couple tips to restore your plugins. Soldiers in  Rosenthal's iconic 'Rasing the Flag on Iwo Jima'  photo have finally been identified. A review panel considering 'all available images, film, statements and previous investigations' found the man to be Private First Class Harold Schultz. New  York fashion street photographer Bill Cunningham has passed away.  Jim recommends the documentary Bill Cunningham New York. Apple has been awarded a patent for a system that allows for the camera on an iPhone to be disabled remotely via an infrared signal. The technology could be implemented in concert venues, classified areas or any other location where photography is not allowed. Eye-Fi will soon end support for its X2 and older wireless memory cards

Fred and Jim first presented a home-built tricopter about 5 years ago to be used for aerial photography.  Since then, the UAV (drone) market has exploded and the little machines are becoming more and more sophisticated.  In the current episode, Jim and Fred present a first look of the new DJI Phantom 4 which features collision avoidance, a 4K camera capable of taking 12 MP RAW images, redundant GPS and IMU systems, and a new improved gimbal.  Although not cheap, the new quadcopter offers a lot for the money.  The Fotobug urges all users of UAVs (drones) to be mindful of the FAA rules and regulations and to fly safely. The Fotobug guys will be offering more information and tips on the Phantom 4 in future podcasts, but present here a first look at this new offering from DJI!

Be sure to keep listening and plan to attend the Black Hills Photo Shootout in September in South Dakota! 

Until next time, keep chasing those elusive images!

Fotobug - Episode 159 - Tips for extended shutter photograhy

Summer is here along with the heat and long sunny days.  Lots going on in the world on Photography!  In recent news, Fred and Jim discuss the fact Indian officials have rejected Google's plan to image its towns and cities due to security concerns.  A 23 year old man left the boardwalk at Yellowstone National Park and fell through the crust into a hot acidic pool (Darwin award?). KitSplit is a new peer to peer network for renting and leasing camera gear.  A disgruntled Nikon D500 owner is suing Nikon and claims the camera's Wifi isn't what was advertised.  Two unusual lenses are up for sale: a Birns and Sawyer Omitar 1000mm f/4.5 lens commissioned by NASA and a Nikon 1200mm F11 lens on eBay. Finally, a studio in India founded in 1840 is closing after 176 years in operation.

Technique using 15 frames to simulate long exposure in Photoshop

In the current podcast, Jim and Fred discuss three ways to capture incredible images using long exposures, even during daylight hours.  The most common and traditional way is to use ND or variable ND filters.  Some recent cameras have a multiple exposure mode (especially Canon) and by using the Average setting, several images can be averaged together to produce a long exposure effect without ND filters.  Finally, the same process can be applied with any camera in Photoshop by bringing in all the images into layers, then select and convert the image to a smart object and finally, using the Layers menu, apply the Mean mode to the layers.  More details in the podcast! 

Jim also demonstrates the new content fill operation in the latest version of Photoshop when rotating the image to straighten the horizon.  Previously this had to be done manually or the image had to be cropped to omit the portions outside of the image.

Coming up - a look at the new DJI Phamtom 4 and more interesting guest appearances!  Start planning for the Black Hills Photo Shootout taking place the last weekend in in September - www.thephotoshootout.com!