Topaz Clarity is here. Click this link and use the code claritynew to get it for $29.99 (regular price will be $49.99) through May 31st. The image below is from Fonthill, some of Henry Mercer’s wonderful tile work. Processed with Topaz Clarity and Detail 3. As I said in my last preview post about Clarity, its gonna be a game changer. Good stuff! Way to go Topaz.
My tour partner Dan Sniffin and I are very excited to announce a new workshop with special guest Cole Thompson. As Cole is an extraordinary B&W photographer, we will be focusing on making B&W images, but of course color photographers are welcome too! We will spend time in three primary locations during the week. The Alabama Hills in Lone Pine CA, The Trona Pinnacles in Ridgecrest CA and the Mesquite Flat dunes in Death Valley. The workshop will run from February 3rd to the 8th of 2014. We are accepting deposits now, details can be found on the Tours page of this blog. As with our recent special workshop with Chuck Kimmerle, I’m sure this one will fill up quickly if not instantly. So, if you have an interest act fast.
My friends at Think Tank Photo just announced an exciting new Test Drive program and the release of a new version of its monster rolling camera case, the Logistics Manager™ 30.
With the Test Drive program you get to try out any of Think Tank’s very popular Retrospective® soft shoulder bags for 30 days for free! Should the shoulder bag meet your needs, then your credit card will be charged at the close of the trial period. Should it not meet your needs, return it within the Test Drive time period and your card won’t be charged. The Retrospective series was created as an homage to classic photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank. Designed for the photographer who wants to remain inconspicuous in any situation, its ”old-school” look mixes with “new-school” features giving tribute to the days when bags were visually simple but highly functional. It comes in nine models and three colors. This offer is good only on shipments to U.S. addresses.
And, Think Tank just released a new version of its largest rolling camera case, the Logistics Manager™ 30. Its roomy internal dimensions of 13.75”W x 27.5”H x 8.25 – 10”D (35 x 70 x 21 – 25.5cm) allow it to hold multiple combinations of cameras and lenses, lighting gear such as strobes and reflectors, and accessories of all kinds. Use this link and you will receive a free gift with your orders from Think Tank.
And don’t forget, there is free FedEx ground shipping on all U.S. orders through May 31, 2013.
I personally own a Retrospective bag and LOVE it!
John B.
I have great news to share! Our friends at Topaz will be releasing the brand new CLARITY sometime late next week. I have an advance copy and WOW, Topaz has done it again. So, what does it do? It adds POP (contrast) to your image in a VERY NATURAL way with abundant control. Different than Detail and more refined than Adjust. It also has an HSL (Hue Saturation Luminosity) tab which allows tight control of the color in your image. Lots of presets too. Trust me on this, CLARITY will become your go to program for adding color and POP (contrast pop) to your images moving forward. Why, because of the new proprietary algorithm written just for this program. It is what makes the adjustments look so natural. No halo’s or over-affected look. Check back later next week for details about the price and release here or on the TOPAZ LABS WEBSITE.
BALL-HEADS FOR SALE A friend has asked me to sell two back-up ball-heads. I have both in my possession and they are both in brand new condition. One is the Really Right Stuff BH-55 LR, the other the coveted Arca Swill B-1 which is hard to find. The price for the BH-55 LR (lever release) is $360.00 plus $15.00 for shipping. For the Arca Swiss with screw type plate (not quick release) $300 plus shipping. Two great ball-heads for about $100 less than new and in new condition.
The first image here is processed with CLARITY and finished with Detail. The image below this one is the before image with just RAW processing applied.
I know, I know… I said in my previous post that I it was my last Dune image. Well, I found one more and I’ve added a Death Valley Folio. I had such a great time shooting there this past year, I’ve decided to make it a project as I know I’ll go back a few more times. These images represent a start to that project. Thank you for your kind and constructive feedback on these images. A big thank you to Chuck Kimmerle for sharing his vision and knowledge with our tour group this past January. I continue to be inspired by his amazing work.
Stay tuned as we are very close to announcing another special workshop! This time we will have Cole Thompson as our guest instructor. You can see Cole’s work by clicking the highlighted link.
One more from Death Valley. For this image I felt a panoramic crop fit best.
An update on workshops and tours…..
There area just a couple of spots left for the Fall New England tour.
There are just a few spots open for Cape May and Cape Cod later this year.
Details can be found by clicking on the WORKSHOP and TOURS links on the menu bar at the top of the page.
I’ll be doing another Topaz Webinar at the end of the month. You can sign up by clicking on this link.
Once again, I was blessed with a great group over the weekend for the Eastern State Penitentiary, Graffiti Underground and Fonthill workshop. My friend Dalyn (see pictures below) was kind enough to join us again as our model. This time I said, come dressed as you wish, always risky! Only he would come looking as he did! Needless to say we had a bunch of fun!
The lead image is a jpeg capture of the wonderful Fonthill before we went inside to shoot. Its a jpeg, because I accidentally switched my camera to jpeg instead of RAW. That said, I am BLOWN AWAY by the quality of the jpeg out of the Fuji X-E1. WOOOWW! All I did was warm it up just a touch and nothing else. It is tack sharp and the detail was crazy good. Exposure spot on in aperture mode and other than being just a tad cool the colors were great! I have friends that are shooting Fuji jpeg and RAW and never need to convert the RAW file because the jpegs are so good. I was always suspicious but now understand their comments. The game is changing folks. The new crop of “mirror-less” cameras are getting really good. I can’t wait for the Fuji X-Pro 2 due out later this year. I’m sure it will have all the goodies from the new X100s and more which means it is gonna be pretty much all I’ll need most of the time.
Yesterday, I had the chance to see a friend play an amazing organ at an old Church in Philadelphia. She was amazing and the sound of the organ incredible. As we waited for Liz to play, I grabbed this shot with my Fuji X-E1 resting on the railing. I am very pleased with this one. As for the title, one of the passages Liz played had some grumbly low notes mixed in with Phantom of the Opera melodies. It was terrific, I only wish my mom could have been there! Remember to click on the image to make it bigger!
Another from my Death Valley Dune shoot.
There is an abandoned home in the Eureka Mine area of Death Valley. This little scene was inside one of the remaining buildings. Using some of the techniques that Chuck Kimmerle shared in his processing tips session of our workshop, I’ve crafted this black & white version. I can’t imagine living for years in such a remote HOT area. Living like this in the past would not have agreed with me. Taking pictures of it today. That works!
Just incase you’ve not heard, Nik Software (Google/Nik) is now offering their entire collection for $149.00! And, if you use my code JBARCLAY you’ll save a few more bucks! If you’re one of the rare few who has not picked this up, its a no brainer and the best deal on the planet. Click the link and get it!
