By the time you are reading this it will be almost a year and a half since Adobe Systems introduced Photoshop Lightroom (LR) 1.0. The introduction of the original version of LR took place after an extensive period of online beta testing by photographers from all over the world. The full release was followed by a series of updates which steadily improved the functionality of the...
Let's face it. Not every photographer has a loft in the photo district that includes a studio space in which to photograph. Heck, not every photographer has a back yard. Don't let that stop you from reading this review. Even if you don't have a back yard or studio space you have something just as good, Central Park, Herman Park, some park.
The kind of photography I do can take me almost anywhere. Today I could be photographing in my studio, tomorrow on the streets. I can often "get away" with available light or a Speedlite mounted on a flash bracket--and sometimes I do just that. But getting away with something is not always the best way to get the results my clients need.
It is interesting that as digital imaging began its ascendancy film reached an all-time high in quality: hue, saturation, and sharpness, all of which meant digital had to try harder to be better. One of the films that stood out were the Kodak Professional Portra color negative emulsions, which in the last 10 years have become a favorite for photographers worldwide.
At a recent pro photo show I came across what I consider to be a unique innovation in small studio lighting--the Lowel Rifa eXchange System (#1), which is comprised of four self-contained softboxes that come in varying sizes. At 16x16" the Rifa eX 44 is the smallest and the Rifa eX 88 is the largest at 32x32". What makes this system special is the minimal time it...
Since the first edition of “The Darkroom Cookbook,” there have been an increasing number of photographers who have become interested in alternative processes. The interest has become so great that in 1999 the Photographers’ Formulary, one of the leading providers of photographic chemicals, established a school largely dedicated to teaching alternative processes. Because of the...