Loupey - The Photographer’s Network

Posting around here has been a little sparse, but for good reason. I’m ecstatic to announce Loupey, the free and easy social network for photographers. Loupey is a place for seriously interested photographers to get together, share photos for serious critique, and stay in touch.

Too many photo sharing sites out there don’t emphasize serious critique. Loupey is about saying more than just “Nice photo!” It’s about helping someone get better at what they are trying to do by giving their work some serious thought. I want to encourage everyone to go and sign up for a free account. Be sure and tell your friends about it too! This is just the beginning, and we’re completely interested in hearing what you all have to say to make this the best resource for photographers on the internet.

New Uses for Old Technology

Great reader email about making your own flash diffuser with an old film container. Check it out.

Photomatix Pro and More on HDR

For the perfect HDR tool on Mac OS X or Windows, the list for me begins and ends with Photomatix Pro. Currently in release 2.5 and beta for 3.0 (with a revamped user interface), Photomatix Pro has all the tools necessary (Tone Mapping, Exposure Blending, simple batch automation) to craft some great HDRs. I’ve had a really positive experience with the new beta so far. I encourage all of you to go check it out. You can download the trial for free.

If you’re looking for a video walkthrough of HDR (including a demonstration of Photomatix Pro), definitely check out TWIP’s video here.

Digital Painting with Light

If you’ve got Photoshop (or some equivalent), check out this article on post processing: Digital Painting with Light.

HDR Photography

Your Photos Online

I’ve gotten several emails asking which online photo storage place is the best. There are several free ones out there like Picasa Web and Zooomr. There are some pay ones out there too like SmugMug. The one I use and recommend most is Flickr. Its got a clean and simple interface. And it’s free! Your mileage may vary, but feel free to poke around.

Lose the Tripod (not quite)

Go get some supplies:


$1 Image Stabilizer For Any Camera

More Composition Tips

Andre Gunther Photography has some composition tips up here. A lot of the comments after the article on that page are great, with lots of people with disparate opinions sounding off. Remember, these are just things to consider when taking photos and not rules engraved in ancient stone.

How Lenses are Made

Interested in how camera lenses are made? If you can stand the awkward soundtrack, there’s a great 9 minute Discovery channel feature on Youtube:

Rules, Basic Flash, and Light Tents

* Pop Photo has a list of twelve ‘essential’ rules of photography to follow. Good tips - but as with all ‘rules’, take with a grain of salt.
(http://www.popphoto.com/howto/1175/
twelve-essential-photographic-rules.html)

* Photojournalist Matt Hancock demystifies basic flash exposure.
(http://markhancock.blogspot.com/2005/11/
understand-basic-flash-exposure.html)

* Do you want to try and take cool looking studio product shots? Putting together a cheap light tent will get you on your way.
(http://jpgmag.com/stories/458 and
http://www.instructables.com/id/Super-Simple-Light-Tent/)