"Hobbit's Hidden Treasure"

"Hobbit's Hidden Treasure"
©David A. Ziser

I captured this image while visiting Multnomah Falls a few years ago. It still remains one of my favorite images from that wonderful trip to the Columbia River Valley near Portland, Oregon. 

This image was also featured in a Technique Tuesday I did where I was discussing extremely slow hand-held shutter speeds. How slow – how about 1/3 second.  Yes, handheld.  You can catch that TTues episode right here. I love blurring flowing water and Multnomah Falls is the perfect place to do just that.

It was this motion blur together with the water's misty spray in the bright late morning sun which provided a hint of mystery to the shot. A tweak or two in Lightroom finished the image's treatment weaving the colors and textures into their artistic presentation.

Camera specs; Canon 5D Mark II fitted with 24-105mm IS lens at 24mm, F22 @ 1/3 second (handheld), ISO 50. Enjoy! -David

Quick Hit Monday: All Photography Links - All Day

Good Morning Everybody,

I can't believe this is our 6th day here in the land of sun and fun - time just flies by when you don't have much to do ;~)  Ha - it's back to work today.  More finishing touches on PhotoPro Expo 2012 brochure, getting ready for Hot Shots Print Competition and webcast this Thursday, and getting started on my program outlines/articles (due in two weeks) for Photoshop World coming up In Washington DC next March 26, 2012.

Yep, it's still kind of busy - even in Cabo. Nevertheless I've still got a few good links for you to check out today on Quick Hit Monday.  Here we go.

Monday Morning's Best Photography Links Of Interest:

The Diplomatic Photograph Of The Century! [link]

How do you photograph 100 Heads Of State, all who speak a different language and get them to stand in the right position, and all smile at the same time?  That was the challenge for my good friend, Terry Deglau, who was working at Eastman Kodak at the time.

CNN interviewed Terry about the experience and the challenges he faced to capture this most important photograph.  I've heard parts of the story over the years but seeing Terry's interview really brought those many challenges into view.  It was an amazing photographic feat.  Check out Terry's interview right here.

Prime Lenses: Pros and Cons: [link]

Hey folks, check out this well written post over at Picture Correct before you purchase your next lens.  It's a very informative read for all photographers.

Introduction To Night Photography: [link]

I always enjoy a little night photography.  I rely on my camera and my intuition to get my best images.

If you're looking for a place to begin, check out this article right here.  It's a good read.

Photojournalists Becoming A Thing Of The Past?  [link]

Yes, this is one of those very scary stories and points up just how quickly the photographic landscape is changing for so many photographers and videographers.  Give it a read right here.  It's important we constantly strive to be creative and never rest on out laurels.

Photographer Shoot-off: Lara Jade VS Joey L.: [link]

Those of you that have ever followed the Strobist know that Joey L. is an accomplished, world class photographer in spite of his very young age.  Lara Jade is also a fantastic fashion photographer.  This post at Joey's site is a great de-construct of the thought processes both photographers went through to get their respective final images.  I love these kinds of posts that invite the reader into the mind of creative people.

Iceland Time-lapse Photography: [link]

This beautiful short time-lapse film right here was captured during the Icelandic Midnight Sun in June of 2011 and has become a recent viral video garnering over a million views in the last few months.  A hope this will provide to you a little Monday morning Inspiration for your soul.

Video of Wave Destroying Canon 5D Mark II at (Where Else?) Cannon Beach: [link]

OK, I'm going out on a limb on this post.  If you get queasy watching a $2,500 camera getting trashed, please do not hit this link!  Oh, alright - everything turns out fine anyway so go ahead and hit the link above.  Filmmaker Kurtis Hough was shooting the Pacific Ocean with his Canon 5D Mark II at (irony of ironies) Cannon Beach in Oregon when a wave took down his entire rig. You won't believe this story and video.
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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  Our friends Ralph and Cindy Romaguera arrived yesterday and we're all hanging today just chillin' in the Cabo breezes.  Hope things are as sunny in your part of the world ;~)

Have a great rest of the day and I'll see you tomorrow,  David

Quick Hit Monday: Print Competitions; Wedding Photography; Photoshop Freebies & More!

Good Early Morning Everybody,

I sure hope everyone had a great weekend. LaDawn and I got a chance to hang out with many good friends we haven't seen in a long time over the weekend. It was truly a blessing to revisit and was a nice break from our, too often, chaotic rush. The break didn't last long though. We are utterly swamped these next two days trying to get the last of our projects completed before we leave for Cabo, Mexico on Wednesday morning.

Join The Fun – Print Competition Coming Your Way!

One of the big things I spent a lot of time on over the weekend was organizing our online HOT SHOTS Print Competition & Review coming up on Thursday, December 8, 2011. I sure hope you got a chance to read my complete post on it over the weekend. [link]

The print competition is being hosted by PhotoPro Network and gives all the photographers in our association a chance to submit their images to see how they might fare in our full-fledged print competition coming up in February at our PhotoPro Expo.  We've opened up the competition to all photographers around the world. You can submit up to six digital images for the very small entry fee of only $25. And, the good news is that you have a chance to win up to $1000 in prizes. Those prizes include software from NIK software, OnOne software, Graphic Authority, and many more.

We're limiting the number of total prints submitted to only 200 to be sure that we can get them all judged in our allotted two hours. You can do the math – with a limited number of entries you have a great chance to win some of our great prizes.

In addition to the print competition, we also have arranged to do a Worldwide Webcast of the competition and critique of those images. The webcast is FREE and open to everyone. Were all set with our three-judge panel of experts to judge the prints on December 8 and we already have a few entries with my quick announcement on Friday.

I'll be moderating the webcast from San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico; the three print judges and print moderator will be near Lexington Kentucky: Our tech support person is in Atlanta, GA and I'll have my staff standing by to monitor everything at my studio in the Greater Cincinnati area.

So, I hope you'll be able to join us by both entering your prints into the competition and also following along during the webcast. Oh, one more thing – even if you can't tune into the webcast, you will be instantly notified of your image scores via text and e-mail. It's all part of the new technology that we are test driving during our HOT SHOTS Print Competition & Review. It should be very informative as well as great fun. You can get all the information right here.

Update on PhotoPro Expo 2012

I am so stoked that our PhotoPro Expo 2012 Convention is coming together so well. Today I'm working with a web developer to put the finishing touches on the website and it should be live by the end of today.

Once I know everything is ready to go, I'll amend this post later today to show the new link. I sure hope you'll check it out, and I sure hope you'll consider joining us here in the greater Cincinnati area on Super Bowl weekend, that’s February 2nd through the 5th.

We are so excited to bringing to the Expo 16 world-class speakers including Scott Kelby, Jerry Ghionis, Sarah Petty, Kirk Voclain, Joel Grimes, Vincent Laforet, and nine others which should make it one of the top photographic convention destinations for next year. As I said, I’ll give you the update to the link as soon as I know everything is working smoothly. I sure hope you'll check it out and join me in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area for this outstanding opportunity to learn form the best.

Quick Hit Monday – Here We Go!

Those were two of the most important tips I wanted to get out to you today but, I think it's now time we get to our Quick Hit Monday. I've scoured the Internet looking for the most scintillating links to include in today's post. They cover wedding photography, inspirational photography,  Photoshop and Lightroom tutorials and freebies, and even a few iPad centric links for you too. Let's get right to it.

Photography At It’s Best

Anna Kuperberg’s Best Piece of Advice Ever for Wedding Photographers: [link]

Anna Kuperberg is an extremely talented wedding photographer. In this post she gives some concrete advice on how to capture great images at your next wedding. If you're a beginner ready to explore photographing weddings, you don't want to miss this post.

Extreme Architecture: [link]

Along those same lines, check out these architectural images as well. If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I'm a big fan of line, shape, and form when it comes to composing my images. That's one thing that really turned me on about this post – all the elements that make a great image represented in this series of images. Check it out and you'll see what I mean.

Tiny gadgets: World’s Smallest Functional Digital Camera: [link]

OK, it could be said that I am sort of a gadget freak. That's why I like this post about the world's smallest functioning digital camera. In my early days of photography, I was always interested in small cameras and owned one of those very small 16mm cameras of many years past. If you're kind of a geek freak like me, check out this post… just kind of fun.

When Too Much Photography is Barely Enough: 126 Amazing Links:  [link]

Just when you thought I was giving you way too many links to check out, this link right here will keep you busy through the New Year.  126 amazing photography links and many of them are pretty cool. Take your time and enjoy the browse.

Photoshop Tutorials and Freebies

How to Replace a Face in Photoshop in 6 Easy Steps: [link]

When I first looked at this tutorial, I thought another “head swap” tutorial. But then as I reviewed it more closely, I noticed that this tutorial was going into much greater depth in using some techniques for face alignment that I had never even thought of. That's why I'm including it in today's post. If your wedding or portrait photographer looking for a better way to do your “head swaps” then this post is for you.

Use the Black & White filter in Photoshop: [link]

I'm a huge fan of black and white and always enjoy a post that shows me how to obtain a better result. This is a great post that explores that topic.

Craft Great Black & White Images in Lightroom: [link]

And, since I'm a huge Lightroom fan, I'm also interested in how I can achieve the best black-and-white image result in Lightroom. This tutorial will give you some good insights into how to make your black-and-white images better in Adobe's great software.

15 Photoshop Effects To Add Life to Your Photos: [link]

Everybody wants their images to look their best. This post shows you 15 ways in which you can enhance your images in many creative ways. It's worth a look.

Weekly Freebies: Flourishes and Ornaments: [link]

Now on to the Photoshop Freebie section.  This is one of my favorite links that I found over the weekend. LaDawn's put together a great collection of swirls and twirls for use in the LumaPix:PhotoFusion software [link]. The swirls and twirls featured in this post looks like were going to have to convert them for use in LumaPix as well. There are some really good enhancements – check it out.

Ultimate Collection of 220 Free High Quality Fabric Textures: [link]

On that same thinking - LaDawn loves using textures in her LumaPix:: FotoFusion software projects and this is one of the best collection of fabric textures I've seen in a long time. It's a definite download for us.

Top 20 Creatively Designed Grunge Fonts: [link]

I'm not huge font family – it's like, just how many fonts do you really need. But every now and then I'll read about a new set of fonts that looks quite interesting. I think these fonts fill the bill. One should check them out right here – their free.

40 GIMP Photo Manipulation Tutorials for Designers: [link]

With all the evidence of our Nation’s economic down turn, and Adobe's new upgrade policy on its future releases of Photoshop as outlined in Scott Kelby’s open letter to Adobe [link], you just might want to check out the open source image manipulation software – GIMP.

I been following the development of GIMP for several years and it has really matured into a very robust product. Many of you may not even know what I'm talking about but check out these photo-manipulation tutorials right here using, not Photoshop,  but GIMP which is free.  More GIMP tutorials right here.

iPhone/iPad Anybody

7 iPhone and iPad Apps For Business That Have Just Been Made free: [link]

The world is a big fan of Apple's iPhone and about 30 million people  are huge fans of the iPad. That said let me point you to seven iPhone and iPad apps that went from costing money to free overnight. These apps are not photography centric but business centric and I think there's a few gems in the listing. You can check them out right here.

Turn Your iPad Into A Flash Drive and Awesome File Manager! [link]

And for the iPad geeks out there, I thought this was an extremely interesting post.

16 Incredible iPad Apps For Any Photographer: [link]

I think there is an amazing number of iPad apps available for photographers. My favorite to date has been NIK Software's Snapseed. But, check out these additional 16 photo apps for your iPad. These look kind of fun.

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Hey everybody, that's it for me today. We are utterly swamped and it is going to be one full day. I still plan to get a brand-new Technique Tuesday online sometime tomorrow.

I hope things are good in your part of the world and that you were able to share many blessings with family and friends over the weekend. Have a great rest of the day. I'll plan to see everybody again tomorrow, same time - same station here at DigitalProTalk.

See you then, – David

Quick Hit Monday: Inspirational Wedding Images; Fabulous New Photographers; Photoshop Freebies and More!

Good Morning Everybody,

I hope everyone had a great weekend. We spent most of the weekend completing post production on a 600 image five volume wedding album order for one of my top, not to mention favorite, clients at my studio.

We’ll be putting the finishing touches on it today, doing our final inspection, and then shipping it off to Zookbinders so we can  have it back in time for the holidays. It was a BIG push but, I have to tell you these albums look beautiful thanks to LaDawn’s great design work and Jennifer’s fabulous image enhancement!

Wireless Keyboards - My 1 Star Review

I made my weekly trek to Sam's Club yesterday – I simply love looking through the latest hot deals on all the geek gear. I stumbled upon what looked like something that would be just perfect for newly installed computers – a Logitech wireless keyboard/mouse combination – the Wireless Wave Combo MK550.

A quick check of the reviews online and I saw it had a gazillion five star reviews. After having the thing installed for about 30 minutes on my new computer this morning, it's back to Sam's Club for my refund.

I've always enjoyed using wireless devices on the computer but this keyboard/mouse combination, although looked very promising in the beginning, was driving me crazy with it’s relatively sluggish response after about 30 minutes of usage. I quickly reinstalled my old Dell keyboard and my cheap, $18 Logitech wireless mouse and I was off and running once again.

White Lights and Tears Galore!

You know it's getting close to the holidays when you head up to the attic and pull out about 50 boxes of Christmas decorations. Yes, that what was on our agenda too for this weekend. We're into the Christmas season in a big way with LaDawn decorating eight trees, that’s just in-doors, around our home/studio. 

She begins with a large tree in the family room, slips in an old VHS tape of the Bing Crosby/Danny Kaye classic White Christmas into the VCR tape player (yes, we still have one hooked up to the TV).  Then she begins stringing lights and hanging the ornaments as she tearfully watches the movie and decorates the Christmas tree. It's an annual event for her that she claims brings back many special memories. I never know if she’s going to run out of lights or tissues first ;~)

Anyway, we’ve got a short posting week so let’s get right on with today's post.  Here we go…

Monday Morning's Photography & Inspiration Section:

I've got a lot of things to cover in our Photography and Inspiration section today. These links cover all ranges of photography from portrait photography, wedding photography, scenics, landscapes, and fine art. Feel free to dig into any of them as I'm sure you'll enjoy the surfing.

How Does Help-Portrait Help? [link]

In about 10 days we travel to Cabo San Lucas with our very good friends Kent and Sarah Smith. Joining us this year will be my good friend Ralph Romaguera and his wife Cindy. In addition to getting together with good friends,  enjoying the glorious weather, and  the wonderful flavors, we are also joining Jeremy Cowart with his Help-Portrait project again this year taking place December 10, 2011.

Last year we worked in the most impoverished sections of the city and produce some wonderful images for the families that came by that day. This year were planning for a much bigger crowd but with six of us shooting we’re looking forward to a very rewarding afternoon.

Many people are unaware of the Help-Portrait project. Let me point you towards this link right here which will give you the whole back story. Once again I'm putting out my call to all readers of DigitalProTalk.com to join us December 10 for the worldwide Help-Portrait project. You can get all the information on how to get involved right here.

Wedding Portraits After the Reception – A New Trend? Check Out This Great Wedding Photography [link]

Okay, this is the first time I've heard about doing wedding photographs after the wedding reception. Rocky Gunn, many years ago suggested capturing beautiful pictorial images, that he was famously known for, the day after the wedding or even after the couple returned from their honeymoon. I’ve taken that same approach for these many years and have some great results to show for our efforts. That said, you have to check out the work of Christina Craft, a very talented photographer from Victoria BC, Canada.

Christina is my new favorite wedding photographer. I was drawn to her work after reading this article right here about how she does many of her wedding photographs after the wedding reception is complete. No longer constrained with wedding day time tables, she's able to create some very exciting wedding images for her clients. She has a couple hundred images on her site and just about every one of them is a joy to view. Anyway, check out her site right here.  I'll think you'll really enjoy Christina’s inspiration.

Suggestions When choosing Your Wedding Photography Studios – More Nice Wedding Photography [link]

I also stumbled upon some great wedding photography. The link, right here, will lead you to a story about how to choose your wedding photography studio. The story is more about choosing the studio whose work is featured in the article.

I've got no problem with that because I think their work is very different, innovative, and exciting to see. Anyway, if you want to get another good, healthy dose of inspirational wedding images then check out the link right here.

Creative photography by Sarah Yun – Outstanding Imagery! [link]

Next, you have to check out this simply outstanding work of 29-year-old photographer Sarah Yun. She's only been pursuing her dream of photography for three years but after seeing her work you would think that she has been at it her entire life.

For me, her images just seemed to jump off the page. The way she brings the elements of her images together results in some of the most creative and exciting photography I've seen anywhere. Take a minute or two and check out Sarah's work right here.

Adventure Without Risk! Some Adventurous Moments By Nat-Geo [link]

Okay, how about one more healthy dose of inspiration for you this morning.  You've got to take a moment and check out these unbelievable sports images available at National Geographic.

I, for one, can't believe real people really do many of the things portrayed in these images. I think when you see the images right here you'll agree with me that these activities are not for the faint of heart, or the sane.

LIFE's 20 Worst Covers [link]

I just spent some time pointing you to some of the coolest photography I've seen in the last week on the web. Somehow or another I stumbled onto the link right here that led me to Life Magazine's 20 worst covers. That isn't to say that the photographers who made the images were not great photographers. In fact, the image I featured below, was taken by none other than Mr. Ansel Adams.

It turns out that Ansel worked for a number years as a commercial photographer. He, like the rest of us, had to pay the bills too. But, thankfully for us, he was able to quit his day job and pursue the imagery that excited him most.

By the way, just so you don't feel too bad after you've reviewed the 20 worst covers in this link.  Be sure to check out Life Magazine’s best covers right here. It's always a joy, for better or worse, to look back over these historic collection of images for their storytelling value.

27 Gorgeous Photos of Trees from This Fall [link]

How about one more link to raise your spirits as we near the end of the fall season. Check out these 27 gorgeous photographs of trees right here. Fall is in the air and just about every one of these images captures the season perfectly.

Now A Little Geek Technique

Al Capone’s Cell – HDR Collaboration [link]

At first glance I thought this post was just another HDR photography post. Maybe I was just reading the text a bit too quickly but upon further review it turns out that there is a ton of information on image processing and postproduction in this article. 

Scott Frederick uploaded nine images taken of the famous mobster, Al Capone’s jail cell. This article right here is an in-depth look on how 8 photographers interpreted that scene. No brand of software is left untouched – from Photoshop, Photomatix, NIK’s Color Effects 4, and more – to achieve the various results all the photographers have showcased in this article.

I really enjoyed getting the insights from how the other photographers interpreted the scene and I also appreciate their tips on the techniques that they used. Give it a Monday morning read right here – you'll enjoy it.

This Week's Photoshop Freebies

Top 10 Best Free Fonts of 2011 [link]

This week's Photoshop freebies include a font set and an action set. I have to admit, that I never felt any particular urge to like one font over another. But, these 10 free fonts are elegant in their simplicity and design. Check them out right here. I'm planning on downloading the sets myself.

Attractive Photoshop Actions for Image Enhancement [link]

There are about a gazillion free Photoshop actions available and every now and then a new and exciting technique will pop up. Check out this link right here and see if you don't find a gem or two for yourself.

One For The Road: One More Link You Can Use

10 Free Video Apps [link]

Okay, this is showing a little bit of my geek side but when you check out these 10 free video apps right here, I think you will find one or two that just might work for you. I will admit that this is one of those rainy day posts.  You know, it's raining and you can’t go out and play.  But don’t worry.  This link set will encourage you to have a little computer fun until the weather clears. Hey, looks like it's raining outside right now. Guess I'll check out these links one more time ;~)

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Hey gang, that's it for me today. I've got dozens of empty Christmas decorations boxes that I promised LaDawn  I would help her replace in the attic. Plus a few photography projects that need finishing touches before Thanksgiving .

How about I plan to see everybody tomorrow, same time, same place for a brand-new Technique Tuesday. Tomorrow's topic will discuss how to get beautiful portrait results out of your shoe mount flash. I hope you'll join me.

Have a great rest of the day everybody, I'll see you tomorrow.

– David

DigitalProTalk.com: 3,000th Post Today!

Good Morning Everybody,

And welcome to my 3000th post at DigitalProTalk.com. Yes, it's true, today DigitalProTalk.com is 3000 posts old. That's quite a milestone and I have all of you, my loyal DigitalProTalk.com readers, to thank for giving me the incentive to post 5 days a week for these last 4 1/2 years.

Since starting this blog around September of 2007 DigitalProTalk.com now averages about 350,000 page views a month with its 3.3 million readers coming from 205 countries worldwide!  The countries leading in readership are the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Spain, and Italy in that order.

Again, when I look at the analytics it just boggles my mind. I'm both humbled and grateful with the readers who have shared time with me at DigitalProTalk.com.

Let me give you more a few more statistics that DigitalProTalk.com has logged. The average daily postings totaling over 1500 words each day brings the total words that I blogged to just a little over 1.6 million. That many words would fill 2 copies of the Bible, both Old and New Testament or 3 copies of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel, War and Peace

There have been over 200 video tutorials posted on everything from lighting, photography, light room, Photoshop, and business building tips.

To give you a little hint on how to find all of them just enter Technique Tuesday in the search box in the top left corner of this blog.

Among these 3000 posts are over 200 Business Day Thursday posts. These posts are always targeted to photographers, from aspiring professional to seasoned pro, and focus on success tips that can help you continue to grow your business.

There have also been over 1000 “image of the day” posts. It is sometimes challenging to find an image five days a week. With each image I attempt to post the back story, what I was thinking as I was making that image, the technical details involved, and any pertinent lighting details as well. Nearly all the images have been posted with the pertinent excerpt data as well.

The easy way to explore the over 1000 images is to just search © David A. Ziser and just about all of them should pop since I include this copyright information with each photograph.

Other ways to search content on my blog is by exploring the topics listing in the right-hand column. You may have to scroll down just a bit to see them.

One thing I like about my blog is that there is no easy way to find any specific point of information. It is very much akin to my CD and DVD collection. Those collections to are neither organized or alphabetical which makes it a nice surprise when I find a CD or DVD selection that really intrigues me. I guess a different way of saying this is that, even for the occasional reader,  DigitalProTalk.com is full of surprises.

Another way to enjoy DigitalProTalk.com is to just browse through the post titles also included in the right column of the blog. Just pick any year, and then any month and then read through the titles. I'm sure you'll find something there that you like.

I've been thinking about changing DigitalProTalk.com header to read more simply:

DigitalProTalk – Stop on by, you'll always learn something here.

I think that says it all.  So in closing, let me say once again THANK YOU!! to all of my DigitalProTalk.com readers. Thank you to LaDawn for allowing me to continue to take the time to post/research daily. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'll keep writing if you'll keep reading;~)

I'll see you again bright and early on Monday morning, all the pixels willing. Have a great weekend everybody.

– David

Quick Hit Monday: Model Shoot-Out Coming!; Cool Photography; & Photoshop Goodies, Tutorials, and Freebies

Good Morning Everybody,

Ever have one of those days where you just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I hate to say it, but my entire weekend felt that way ;~) The BIG project for me is to push out the marketing for our upcoming PhotoPro Expo 2012 by the end of this week. 

Let me share with you one of our convention highlights.  It is like way cool.  If you've attended Photoshop World over the last few years, you've experienced the model shoot-out.  It is really fun.  Four bays completely propped and jammed packed with Westcott lighting and great looking exotic models.  Check out the video below to see what I mean - like I said, WAY COOL!. 

Anyway, my good friends at Westcott have agreed to do the same thing for our PhotoPro Expo 2012 convention!  I can't wait.  And, hey gang, that's just for starters.  I'll keep you posted as all the plans to come together. Remember, use promo code PPEDAZ12 to save $100 off registration.

On To Quick Hit Monday:

For today's Quick Hit Monday post I've gathered some very interesting and informative links for you.  I hope you enjoy them.. Let's get right to it.  Here we go...

On Photography:

I didn't find much on wedding photography this past week but did discover some great links with some terrific photography.

1. Photography Tips From Damian McGillicuddy: A very detailed de-construction of a great fashion shoot. [link]

2. Robert Seale Featured in Digital SLR Magazine:  Some very cool sports photography. [link]

3. 40 Realistic Examples of Levitation Photography: Hey, just for fun - makes me wonder how they were done ;~) [link]

4. The Ten Most Expensive Photographs: After last week's post on the most expensive photograph ever sold, I thought you may be interested in the rest of the Top 10 list of expensive images. [link]

Gadgets – Gear On The Cheap:

Super Cheap DSLR Remotes:  Photographers are three things and the first of those is CHEAP - me included.  That's why I liked this link to cheap DSLR remotes.  Uhmmm, remote cameras in front of church during weddings? [link]

Photoshop Lessons, Goodies & Freebies:

This is my favorite section to collect and pull together each week.  I can't believe all the good information available on line.  Check out these links - a treasure trove of Photoshop resources!

Cool Tutorials:

1 . 5 Incredible Methods to Enhance Your Designs with Light: A wonderful set of lighting tutorials to get great lighting on your Photoshop project. [link]

2. How to play Photoshop Actions on Multiple Images with Batch Editing: I needed to see this again.  It's one of those things you don't do every day.  So seeing the process once again was a good refresher.[link]

3. 30 Worth Learning Text Effect Tutorials in Photoshop: I'm not a big TEXT guy, but the processes described in these tutorials are fascinating to see. [link]

4. 25+ Water Effect Photoshop Tutorials and Brushes: I wish I had known about these techniques for some of my past projects. [link]

5. 30 Rare Outstanding Collections of Photoshop Tutorials: Some of these tutorials are really "off the wall" but following and understanding them will really broaden your knowledge of Photoshop. [link]

Some Great Freebies:

1. 30 Free Vector Graphics for Your Daily Needs:  A great set of useful Photoshop freebies. [link]

2. Free Tile-able and Seamless Pattern Sets:  More FREE stuff. [link]

3. 450+ Free Unique Photoshop Brushes:  I'm such a BRUSH junkie. [link]

4. Free Graphic Design Software Reviews and An Amazing Showcase:  OK, GIMP has been receiving a lot of play lately.  But now it also has a working version of "Content Aware Fill".  GIMP is FREE - Amazing!!! [link]

Wrapping With A Little Inspiration:

Stunning Photo Manipulations Inspired by Nature: I'm always amazed at what the digital artists can pull off in Photoshop. [link]

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Hey gang, that's it for me today.  I've got to get back to my real job.  I hope you'll join me tomorrow for another episode of Technique Tuesday.   

Hope to see tomorrow, David