Digital Viewfinder

Flash Gels

2009-12-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

If any of you want to buy some color correction gels for your flash so that you can get the flash to match different types of lighting or even to get creative then The flash Centre are selling some Rosco ones which are quite cheap (imho).

You can purchase them from The Flash Centre for around £7.99 + P&P per pack. DIY Photography have a number of ideas here for using gels on you flash.

If anyone fancys making their own then click here to read an article which tells you how. Not sure how accurate they will be for color correction, but could still give you some interesting results.

Black Country Canals - The Good, The Bad & The Arty

2009-12-02T02:22:00.000-08:00

The following series of photographs were taken at local canals to where I live in the Black Country.

Bumble Hole

Langley

Tipton

Don't Forget To Check Your WHIMS

2009-09-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

While reading Scott Kelby's book "Digital Photography Book vol 2" he mentions a tip I wished I had known about earlier:- remember to check your WHIMS, when starting a new photographic shoot or when the photographic situation changes.

There has been many situations while taking some important photographs when I've had my camera set up for taking pictures outdoors but have now moved indoors and forgot to change the settings accordingly. This did happen to me while photographing a wedding for a friend. I suppose it is lack of experience, or it could always happen to the best. Remembering the following acronym and using it to check your main camera settings will help alleviate this annoying/embarrassing mistake:

W (White balance) - Check to ensure the white balance setting is appropriate for the lighting

H (Highlight warnings) - Turn this feature on to ensure you are not ckipping off any important detail

I (ISO) - Use the correct ISO for your surroundings

M (Mode) - Are you using the correct camera mode for the picture

S (Size) - Ensure the image size is appropriate for the type of picture you are taking

It is very easy to be over exited and eager to take the pictures that you forget to check your camera, but, slow yourself down a little and ensure you use the above advice and avoid making this same mistake that I have done more frequently than I would like to admit.

Gimp User Interface - The Basics

2009-09-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

Found the following YouTube video showing an overview of the GIMP user interface. I'm sure it will be helpful for anybody using the GIMP for the first time.
Found the following YouTube video showing an overview of the GIMP user interface. I'm sure it will be helpful for anybody using the GIMP for the first time. The author sometimes seems to be making fun of the GIMP, but take no notice as it is a very powerful imaging software.

Making The GIMP Feel Like Adobe Photoshop

2009-09-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

If you are used to using Adobe Photoshop and cannot get on with the GIMP because of the different menu systems then have a look at The GIMPshop.
If you are used to using Adobe Photoshop and cannot get on with the GIMP because of the different menu systems then have a look at The GIMPshop.

It is a modification of the GIMP and is intended to replicate the feel of Adobe Photoshop. Its primary purpose is to make users of Photoshop feel comfortable using GIMP.

The Digital Photography Book

2009-09-12T02:12:00.000-07:00

I brought this book the other week and found it to be a fantastic reference for producing some amazing images.
I brought this book the other week and found it to be a fantastic reference for producing some amazing images and for refreshing my memory about techniques I have forgotten about. This is a must have book for amateur photographers.

There are three books in the series and can be purchased from Amazon for very little money IMHO, so I will be purchasing the other two books in the near future.

Automatic GIMP Polaroid Effect

2009-09-12T00:25:00.000-07:00

There is a cool plugin for the Gimp called G'MIC which has a lot of image manipulation options. It is well worth installing and having a play.
There is a cool plugin for the Gimp called G'MIC which has a lot of image manipulation options. It is well worth installing and having a play.

One option is to add a polaroid effect to your image as shown here:

There are a lot of options for generating the polariod image so you can get the resulting polariod just how you want it. The options available are:

Another example:

GIMP Polaroid Effect

2009-09-11T23:31:00.000-07:00

Found this nice tutorial showing how to manually generate a polariod effect with your photos.
Found this nice tutorial showing how to manually generate a polariod effect with your photos:

Adding A watermark To A Photo

2009-09-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

Adding a water mark is straight forward using the Gimp
by using a plugin (kindly developed by the Gimp community) available at the GIMP Plugin Registry.

The plugin I use is called Copyright Text. To install the plugin download the "scm" script file to the location "[Gimp install path]\share\gimp\2.0\scripts".

When The Gimp loads you will find the plugin located at "Filters > Eg > Copyright" as shown in the following screen shot:

There are a number of options available which makes the plugin quite flexible and allows customisation easy:

I think the options are quite straight forward. Thats all there is to it, have fun adding watermarks to your pictures.