Thanks for the opportunity Firrgs!

To everyone who has been there along the way, helping me to grow and encouraging me to pursue my passions for Photoshop and photography.

Thank You!

Each video has to be no more than two minutes (check!), use Photoshop CS5 (check!), teach one of the new features in CS5 (check!), and incorporate the concept of “20″ in the final image to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Photoshop (check!).

Once they have all the entries, the judges will be weeding out the videos that don’t fit the criteria and select up to 12 finalists. At that point, between September 8th-20th, voting will open up to the Photoshop Facebook Community and the video with the highest number of votes wins.

What do you win? I’m glad you asked! The winner will receive a copy of CS5 Design Standard and an all-expenses paid trip to Photoshop World next spring with the change to teach at the conference (probably at one of the theaters on the Expo floor).

I really want this, to be totally honest. Not just for the cool prizes or how it will look on my resume. Photoshop and Photography are passions of mine, and if you’ve been following my posts here for any length of time you know that I am also passionate about helping others realize their own potential in the creative field. I’m going to keep pursuing that, contest or not, but I would love to have the opportunity to continue to build on what I’ve already started by making the most of this competition.

I would like to enlist your help! Go to the Photoshop Facebook page and become a fan so you can be ready to vote when the time comes. Get as many of your contacts as possible to do the same. And VOTE!

Thank you in advance for your support and your encouragement! It means a lot!

And now, for the video:

Single Image HDR Toning from Jason Moore on Vimeo.

When we don’t have the time, opportunity, or equipment with us necessary to create a true HDR image, CS5 now offers us an alternative to achieve similar results!

Whether you have been using the program since the beginning or, where the book really shines, if this is your first time sitting down with Lightroom you are treated with Scott’s signature humor and easy to follow teaching style so  you can be up and running from the very first page.

If you think that this book might just be for people just starting out with Lightroom, think again. I’ve been using Lightroom since it was in it’s initial Beta when it wasn’t a whole lot more than a combination of features from Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). Each time a new version of the program comes out, it is simply packed with new features and improvements and it takes some time to become familiar with all the new bells and whistles and Scott does a fantastic job of teaching even the oldest of dogs all the new tricks.

Scott’s approach is to take you step by step through every element of the program so you will know not just how each part works but why you would use it and how you can optimize it to streamline your workflow and take your post-processing to the next level.

Other than the always-funny chapter intros, one of my favorite recurring features is Scott’s Killer Tips section at the end of each chapter. Once you’ve gone through all the nuts and bolts of a particular concept, Scott shares some of the extra tips and tricks that could easily be overlooked, from keyboard shortcuts to interface customization to “Here’s what I do…” stuff so you can take things another step forward.

The most popular sections of Scott’s books are always the complete project chapters at the end. After showing you the ins and outs of the program, Scott invites us in to check out his personal workflow in real-world situations to show you not just how it works but how you would actually use it. In this volume, Scott has adapted his 7-Point System to work entirely within the bounds of Lightroom. I’m a big fan of “the system” and was excited to see it included here. What I like about it is that you are given a starting point to jump off from so that you can be sure to get the most out of every pixel in virtually any situation.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to picking up another one of his titles soon. Just like the chapter intros are a mental break from the teaching , when I sit down with one of Scott’s books at lunch, they offer me the mental break and creative recharging that I desperately need in the midst of a busy and draining stretch at my day job.

So, if you’re brand new to Lightroom or if you are upgrading and need to brush up on all the new stuff, The Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers is the perfect place to start to get up to speed fast!

*Disclaimer: While all of my reviews are honest and represent my personal opinions, the product in this review was  provided by the author free of charge.

Before getting to the review, I want to join with Mpix in extending to you a special offer of 10% off Mpix Frames thru the end of August. All you have to do is use the exclusive promo code JMOOREFRAME during checkout when placing your order.

Now, on with the review!

The first part we should talk about is the print itself. When I was thinking about which print to have framed, I had to go with my shot of the Eiffel Tower from below. I had done my own print and framed it myself as a gift for my dad. I loved how it looked framed, especially with how angular and geometric the shot is.

I read up on Mpix’s True B&W paper, and thought it would be perfect for this shot. According to their description of the paper:

This panchromatic, resin-coated paper is specifically designed for making continuous-tone B&W prints…Because the emulsion is silver-based rather than dye-based, the imaging performance and characteristics of this paper are the same as traditional b&w continuous-tone papers. That translates to neutral tonal characteristics that provide the paper with display and archival qualities.

The paper really holds the detail perfectly and the range of blacks and grays allow for a fuller experience of the shot by providing depth and detail exactly as I had hoped for.

I don’t even know what more I could say about the framing other than that it is perhaps one of the best frame jobs I’ve seen. It’s clean, classy, and really compliments the print well. The flat back frame with white matting really helps draw your eye right into the image in a subtle, yet striking way, without making the frame the most noticeable piece.

All-in-all, I have to say this is one of my favorite of the Mpix products that I have hanging in my house. It’s a beautiful piece that shows off my work exceptionally well.

And remember, you can take advantage of these professional, yet accessible frames from Mpix with a savings of 10% off by typing in the code JMOOREFRAME when you place your order this month! So head on over and start shopping!

*Disclaimer: While all of my reviews are honest and represent my personal opinions, the products in this series were provided by the vendor free of charge.

I know many, if not all, of  you are tied in with Facebook and/or Twitter and a number of you have connected with me on one or more of those networks. In an effort to make the conversation more focussed on digital imaging in all its forms, I have created a Jason D. Moore Photography Fan Page over on Facebook where you will be able to find all of my updates related to this blog, professional work, contests, Photoshop Q&A etc. At the same time, I am going to be sorting through my friend list for my personal profile so that it includes only friends and family. I’m not trying to kick anyone out, per se, just dividing the two worlds up so I can direct my efforts in a more focused way.

So, with no intention to offend anyone, in the next week or so I am going to be cleaning out my friends list and I’d appreciate it if you would head over to my Photography Facebook Page and became a fan so you can keep up with the conversation over there! I hope we can use that space to really engage each other in a more personal way.

I hope to see you there!

Well, it’s been a great summer for the 2010 BIG Photo Contest and I’ve been greatly impressed with the entries submitted! I am thrilled by the response again this year with so many beautiful shots shared. Great job to every one of you for your hard work and vision. I love that you made it so hard for me to make my selections!

I would also like to send out a huge ‘thank you’ to my sponsors who have been so supportive in donating the prizes for the winners. Please take some time to visit their sites and check out what they have to offer. They are some great companies with great products and services. Thank You to Mpix, onOne Software, Photoshop Cafe, and IGT America!

And now, without further ado, the winners of the 2010 BIG Photo Contest are…

Grand Prize: dan4242 Prizes: $250 in Mpix Services, Plugin Suite 5 from onOne Software, 30×40 Metal Print from IGT America, and a CS5 Training DVD from Photoshop Cafe
Second Place: nolanstern PHOTOGRAPHY Prizes: $50 in Mpix Services and Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Book, Volume 3
Third Place: rozanazz Prize: $50 in Mpix Services
Honorable Mentions:

Please excuse the inconsistent posting lately. Liam and Kim have been my focus lately – as they should be! – and the blog has been taking a back seat as I work on developing a routine to keep it going.

To that end, I’ve setup a Jason D. Moore Photography Fan Page on Facebook where I’ll be posting my updates rather than through my personal profile. In August I will be cleaning out my Friends list in my personal account to include only friends and family. So if you have connected with me on Facebook and haven’t done so already, please head over to the fan page and “Like” it so you can keep up to date with everything going on with Jason D. Moore Photography. You can also follow me on Twitter @JasonDMoore.

Read on to find out about some new info for the 2010 BIG Photo Contest!

Ok, since the announcement of the contest, I’ve finalized most of the prizes we’ll be giving away to the winners. So far…

The Grand Prize Winner will receive:

• $250 in Services from Mpix
• Plugin Suite 5 from onOne Software
• 30×40 Metal Print from IGT America
• TBD prize from Photoshop Cafe
• A value of roughly $1,000!

Second Prize will receive:

• $50 in Services from Mpix
• Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Book, Volume 3

Third Prize will receive:

• $50 in Services from Mpix

I am still accepting sponsors for the contest! If you have a product or service you would like to donate to the prize packages, please contact me using the link at the top right of this page!

Awhile back one of my Facebook friends, photographer Sean Duggan, posted a really cool image (above) that really caught my eye. It’s part of a larger series that was recently published in July/August issue of Photo Techniques Magazine.

About the above photo, he writes:

This one has been percolating for a while. From the initial idea 2 years ago, to finding the wheel 1 year ago, to waiting for winter and finding a good mountain location this year. Taken about a month and a half ago.

{from his site:}

I have been working on this series for almost four years and I am still actively creating new images. These photographs are not digital collages; the artifacts are actually present in the landscape in which they are photographed. The photographs and the experience of creating them exist on more than one level and it is this multi-level quality that keeps the series fresh and intriguing for me, a crucial component for any long-term creative project.

Each of his shots in the series were taken with a pinhole camera with an aperture of f/235 and exposure times of anywhere from 2 seconds to 45 seconds.

To read more about the series, the process and to see a gallery of all the images, check out Sean’s collection of Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin.

That’s right! Building off of the success of last year, I’m pleased to announce the launch of this summer’s BIG Photo Contest!

I’m doing things a little different this time around. Instead of having set themes for each photo, I’m looking for you to submit 5 photos to the BIG Photo Contest Flickr Group that all fall into a single theme, which you select for yourself. For example, if you chose flowers as your theme, all of your photos would show flowers in some way. Likewise, if you were to be more philosophical and choose the theme wonder, you’d have to make sure all your photos worked to serve that theme. The selection is yours.  I will be selecting the winners as the sets of images that I feel are the most compelling as well as the best representation of the chosen theme.

Now for the details…

• You have until Saturday July 31st at midnight (Eastern) to submit your photos.
• Complete sets of 5 photos will be eligible to win.
• U.S. residents only can win.
• There will be a Grand Prize, Second, and Third prize winner.
• Prizes? They are still being finalized (and I’m always looking for more sponsors!) but as of right now we have a complete Plugin Suite 5 from onOne, a 30×40 Metal print from IGT America, something from Photoshop Cafe, and some cool stuff from Mpix.

More details will be announced as details come in. For now, start thinking about what your collection of shots will be, and keep checking back for more info!

Good Luck!

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