Obviously there’s been a lot of buzz around lately about Apple’s Aperture 3. I read an article yesterday titled “Five Reasons For Switching from Lightroom 2 to Aperture 3″ by a gentleman named Marco. So I figured I’d take a stab at my own rendition of the “5 things” article (no offense to Marco) and write about 5 reasons to stay with Lightroom.

Let me just get one thing out from the start though. Will this article seem Lightroom biased? You betcha! Because I am Lightroom biased (you’re at a blog called Lightroom Killer Tips if you haven’t noticed). I’ve been using it for over 4 years. I know it like the back of my hand. However, as an expert in the industry I can’t just go around saying “my program is better than yours” without testing the other one. I had a copy of Aperture 3 installed the day after it was announced and have been kicking the tires since then. Here’s what I’ve come up with.

Reason #1: Enjoying the Digital Darkroom (this was reason #1 from Marco’s article)
I’ll go head-to-head with this one because I think Lightroom is better here. One big reason is that in Lightroom (the LR3 beta) we have Collections in the Develop module which keeps me from bouncing back and forth (something I found myself doing a lot in Aperture). And when it comes down to it, the only difference is tabs in Aperture compared to modules in LR. Aside from wishing the Develop module had Folders and Collections in it (like I said, LR3 beta has Collections now), I don’t find myself cursing the modules in Lightroom. If its not a module I need to use then I simply just don’t click on it. And the reason why LR has more modules than A3 has tabs, is because Adobe has located two key areas (slideshow and web) there instead of a menu up at the top.

Reason #2: Camera Calibration, Effects, Collections, Vignettes and other stuff
Remember when Camera Calibration profiles came out for Lightroom? You should because everyone absolutely loved them. It’s one of my favorite panels in Lightroom. But it’s not in Aperture. Lightroom 2/3 beta has better effects when it comes to adding grain and vignetting. And in the article referenced above, he dings Lightroom for not having “Books, Loupe, Light Table and Full Screen Mode”. Books definitely go into the win column for Aperture (see #3 below). But Lightroom does have a Loupe view. Even though its different, it still does the same job. Light Table…. eh, its cool but is it worth switching for? And of course we do have Full Screen mode in Lightroom. Just press the F key.

Reason #3: Printing
This is one of those areas where you can argue either way but I think Lightroom makes a stronger case. Lightroom has custom print templates (in LR 3 beta) and an entire Print module, that you have to admit, is one of the most robust in the industry. Aperture has books but that’s about it. They’re both important. Some portrait and wedding pros swear by Lightroom’s Print module and some folks swear by the great looking books in Aperture. Which is more important? That’s up to you. Personally, I’ll take the Print module in Lightroom. I can still print books elsewhere, but I can’t get Lightroom’s Print module anywhere else. Do I wish Lightroom had both? Yep. But it doesn’t so I have to make a choice.

Reason #4: Noise Reduction
This one definitely goes in the win column for Lightroom. I ran quite a few images through the noise removal settings in both programs. Aperture doesn’t even come close in my opinion. Here’s an example of an image I tested with both the Lightroom 3 beta and Aperture 3. You have to click on it to see it larger to see what I’m talking about though. This image was taken hand held off of a cruise ship in Hawaii as we watched the lava flow. I cranked the ISO up so high that it was lit up like a Christmas tree with noise. As you can see, the Lightroom version has two things going for it. 1) The noise removal is noticeably better and the edges are more crisp as opposed to blurred in the Aperture version and, 2) It retained more of its color even after cranking up the Color Noise removal setting pretty high.

Basically, when it comes down to reading the raw data and doing something useful with it (demosaicing, sharpening, and noise removal), my money goes to Adobe. You’ve gotta realize that being the best at raw processing has to rank up pretty high in Adobe’s priority list. I’m not so sure where it would rank with Apple.

Reason #5: This isn’t an “I’m in the mood for…” game
I’m going to directly disagree with #5 from his list (supporting competition) and say ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, NO WAY! As a consumer, your (and my) job is not to support competition. It’s to support the best product out there and to reward that product by opening your wallet. Your job is to pick the best tool for your job regardless of whether there’s 10 companies that do the same thing or none. Here’s something to chew on. This isn’t a game. Your photography workflow shouldn’t be “sure, I’ll use Lightroom today but maybe Aperture tomorrow”. There’s always going to be features in one program that you like better than another. It happens in every aspect of our lives. Ever buy a car one year only to find out the next year’s model (or a competing model you looked at previously) has something really cool you wish you had? Do you go out and trade your car in for a huge loss and get the new model? Some of you do I’m sure. But it’s surely not economical to do so, and it takes a lot of your time, energy, and money to play that game. The rest of us, are happy enough with our existing car and we work with it. Your goal is to pick the program that works best for you at the time you’re looking for one, and then stick with it. Whether you’re a working pro or an avid hobbyist, nobody has the time to play the “switcharoo” every 18 months.

Reason #5.5 (this is just a joke): Did Aperture Really have to copy the Cyanotype preset from Lightroom?
I mean, of all the presets to copy from Lightroom, they picked Cyanotype? Does anyone even use that preset? I can think of no better reason to just stick with Lightroom, because at least they were the first to use that horrible effect as a preset

Final Thoughts
If you’re a current Lightroom user, you’re among the group of the most used photo management/processing software in the world. There’s a reason why when you do a search for buzz, news, tutorials, presets, etc… on Lightroom vs. the same for Aperture, you find much more about Lightroom. It’s an awesome program and like anything out there, will just get better with time. Be happy with it. If your curiosity just has to get the best of you then by all means, download the free trial of Aperture and give it a try yourself. Maybe you’ll switch. If that’s the right thing for you then go for it. Just don’t do it because it’s new and different. As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments (just be nice)

In this post Lisa Newton from Travelin’ Local shares some tips on planning, showing and promoting a photography exhibit.

I’m sure most, if not all of us, at one time or another have attended an art or other exhibit at a museum or art gallery that features photographs in an exhibition–artistic or educational.

Very likely if you’re an aspiring artist to be “seen” or “shown,” certain emotions may be evoked while looking at other artists having their own shows. Even more to the point, I bet most here reading this post would wonder:
“How did they get their photos shown, how did the gallery or museum organize to have the show, who arranged and designed the show, and how can I do it?”
?This post should be able to steer you in that direction, if you’re readily inclined to do so. Note: It takes planning, money, and a lot of “sweat” equity to get from here to there. But there are several steps and processes that should assist you toward this goal, although the marketplace is crowded and the economy is down.
So I’ll briefly go through each one of the steps that should significantly increase your chances of getting a show, selling your work, and to get noticed.

1. Have a credible body of work to present along a similar theme

Although it sounds simple enough, you’d be surprised at how many artists and experts in their field are not organized, or can’t stay focused. The point is, that in order for others to take your work seriously you have to first, and the most basic step in that direction is to stay focused along a similar theme that you want people to recognize, identify with, and view. This may not be your only area of aesthetic that you want to show at any point in time, but sometimes you have to crawl before you can walk.

Past that point, if such an opportunity presents itself to show or promote your versatility, by all means that would be something that nobody would intentionally refuse.??As a frequent gallery and museum patron, it never ceases to amaze me how some photographers and artists as well, think that just because they get to show their work, people will automatically respond,  relate, understand, or for that matter like it or want to purchase it. That’s called “rejection,” and it happens to everybody. As an artist it’s something you’re going to get plenty of, so get used to it.

2. Start Small

Frequently, many of your local city halls, libraries, restaurants, businesses, churches, schools, and other ubiquitous public and private institutions, will allow you to hang your work for free.

All it takes is a bit of investigation, a phone call, and possibly a personal visit to make your “pitch.” But it’s up to you and it’s a lot of work —and if your friends can help that helps—to organize, plan, hang, and promote the show. But don’t underestimate this option—many a show and artist get noticed this way.

3. Build your Curriculum Vitae

As an artist, especially one that’s interested in selling your photographs, people want to know more about you, before they make a decision about buying your artistic work.

Don’t lie, and don’t embellish your education, shows, experience, and history. Although it may help you in the short run, in the long run, it will hurt you. Besides your artwork, your character and reputation will quickly be established.

To have the most effective Curriculum Vitae—the more shows that you have, the stronger your chances of getting that next show. Which leads to greater opportunities for you to be noticed, represented, and sell your photographs.

There’s no way around these basics ways to promote yourself. However, with that in mind, with the advantage of the Internet, it would be wise for you to create your own website, showing your various works, and other information about yourself.

Personally, besides perhaps purchasing a poster, I wouldn’t buy a piece of art from the Internet. But that’s just me—I’m sure many have succeeded in doing it this way. But again, it’s a tool and means to an end to get more exposure for your real-world physical body of work.

4. Get to know your local art supply stores, framers, matt cutters, galleries, foundations, and museums.

You’ll soon find that art supplies are expensive if you’re planning on having a show, printing, framing, and publishing your own work. Getting to know the people and organizations listed above will save you time and money if you can buy wholesale for mattes and frames, and the multitude of other things that you’ll need to make sure that your show and work, is as good as it can and should be.

In fact, at some time, with the digital alternatives available, it’s probably a good idea to eventually purchase your own Giclee and matt cutting equipment. If you use mixed media with your photos, like paints, etc., the price of all paints—acrylics, oils, and watercolors, are not cheap.

Use this time wisely to build your contact list when you’re ready to approach people that you want to show you. Call any particular gallery, or museum, and they’ll likely give you a basic breakdown of what and how they might show “new” talent.

Knowledge is power—so use it wisely.

5. Choose your best work to show

Yes we know—it sounds perfectly simple to assume that everybody does. Wrong!

You’d be surprised at how many artists and photographers have shown work that has defects—tears in the picture, back papers, end-papers, matte’s, Knicks in the frames, scratches, etc. This is totally unacceptable if you want to sell your work, and command decent if not exorbitant prices at some time in the future. Three words to remember as it applies to this rule of the thumb: Don’t do it.

People judge you not just by your great art; but also the quality it’s kept in and preserved, and how you decide to present it at a show.

6. Getting a “Known” Gallery to Sponsor and/or Represent You

This is by far is one of the most difficult things to accomplish. You are in competition with literally millions of other artists and photographers vying for that coveted spot.

There’s no “best” way to approach this conundrum of not being “Well Known,” and/or having a name for yourself. While being “Shown” gets your name known sometimes to all the right places and right people–but a good way to start is to pound the pavement. Literally.

Find a list of galleries, and go to each one. A phone call sometimes may get you an appointment, but being at the other end of these countless calls while I worked at a gallery, we unfortunately had to try and get the artist off the phone as quickly as possible. Point being—nothing is a substitute for an in-person meeting.

Now, this is the part of the rejection process—most of the time, the gallery and/or museum will quickly, but nicely inform you that they’re not interested, or not currently showing “new artists or photographers.” This isn’t necessarily the case—they show the artists that came recommended from someone else, or is the artist who’s in current vogue.

Don’t despair because this is part of the game and the world of the art industry. Keep pushing, and pushing harder and harder. It’s a numbers game as much just as much as it’s a relationship game. The two are connected. The more people that you meet, the more relationships you establish, and the more chances that people will recognize you and your work when it’s “Prime Time.”

Fair? No. But such is the way of the world, and the business and life you’ve chosen.

If by chance, when you do secure a meeting with a gallery owner and you’ve got your portfolio in hand, be prepared for rejection afterward as well. But here’s a critical piece of advice–it never hurts to ask the person reviewing your work why they feel they can’t show it. Typically you probably won’t get an honest answer, most likely either because the people in the gallery don’t know you, aren’t interested in you, are busy, have financial constraints, and are in the business of selling what’s already in their gallery. But persevere—eventually you’ll obtain an unbiased and professional assessment of your work and if constructive criticism is given, then take it in stride, and be sure to always stay in touch with these decision makers. Persistence definitely can pay off.

Rejection for anyone is a bitch—but again, you may never get used to it—but with the goal of making it and getting shown, this should get easier as time and your goals become closer, and more reality than dream.

7. Prepare an Invitation List for your Showing

You’ve got a show! Although it sounds simple enough, but just because you “Build It” doesn’t mean “people will come.” Build up a mailing list, and send out invitations when you’re ready to show. If it’s at a gallery, they’ll use their own database, but don’t only rely on that.

8. Marketing and Promotion

Believe it or not, although an artist typically makes for a terrible businessman, there’s a lot to be said for reading as many Art Marketing and Art buying books as possible ,to learn the ins and outs of how best to market and promote yourself. Since the advent of the digital age has changed previous approaches immensely, that too must be calculated into your learning curve.

In the end, it will all be worth it. Be that as it may, I’ve found that the seminal book Art Marketing Handbook. And the book, Marketing art; A handbook for the artist and art dealer, to be timeless. I’ve had a few consultations with its expert author, Calvin Goodman, Management Consultant to the Arts.

By now, especially with the rise of the digital revolution and its relation to making, producing, and presenting art and photography, there must be thousands of other resources to assist you. Get them, read them, study them, and use the recommendations that best fit who you are, and what you’re after. It will make your job of making and having your photography shown, sold, and represented easier.

In the end, I’m sure that armed with this basic primer, and some hard “sweat equity” into your own career– along with the expected hits and misses along the way–you’ll find what best works for you, and listen to your instincts and heart to Plan, Show, and Promote your own Photography Exhibit.

The chances of being successful by following this logical method will greatly increase your chances of doing what you love, and get paid doing it–being a professional photographer.

The other day, I was using a book template from The Album Cafe. I wanted to change the background colour scheme and didn’t know where to start but thought I’d try something that popped into my head and it worked a treat! So I wanted to share it with you lovely folks. It can work for anything – let me know how you use this method too!

1.} I started with the book page as completed if I wasn’t going to proceed with changing the graphics colours.

2.} Then go to layer > new fill layer > solid colour. No matter the colour it chooses in the beginning, just click ok

3.} In the layers palette, double click the layer colour and the dropper will appear. Use it to select colours from within your image to match to your background.

4.} Use the blend mode ‘color’

5.} Instantly, the layer underneath the fill layer changes. Pretty cool, huh?

P.S. Just for the record, I liked this better before I changed the colour – just using it to show you how

It used to be one could get by with just Photoshop and your own folder management and manual organization system, but for photographers who routinely have days with photographs numbering in the hundreds or thousands, a good work flow application is now essential.  Fortunately, this demand supports a good number of competing programs that are all struggling for a piece of the pro-photo pie.  Two of the well known apps in this category are Adobe’s Lightroom and Apple’s Aperture.  Having used both, I don’t think there will ever be a TKO and a clear winner.  Instead, I hope to see both continue to push each other in new directions.  In this spirit, I was very excited to see Apple release its long awaited version 3 of Aperture, with many of the features I’ve been hoping for.  Here is a quick review of my favorite new features and what apple has to say about them.  Watch for an upcoming article detailing my hands-on experience.

Major Improvements

Non-destructive Brushes:

I’ve been waiting for this one!  This is one of the areas they are playing catch-up to Lightroom.  Prior to this version, Aperture users were left with plug-ins such as Viveza. The polarizing brush and skin smoothing brush seem promising.

Make nondestructive image enhancements to specific areas of any photo using new adjustment brushes. Use brush strokes to modify — brush in or brush away — most of the standard image adjustments available in the Adjustments inspector. You can control the size, softness, and strength of each brush with intuitive sliders.  Blend adjustments more easily — and achieve more realistic results — by taking advantage of the feathering tool available for each imaging adjustment brush.  Turn on the Detect Edges option, and Aperture will detect hard edges as you brush, making it easier to brush adjustments into specific areas of a photo.  Deepen color, and darken shadow areas and mid-tones, without affecting the black and white points in an image using the new Polarize brush. Use the new Skin Smoothing brush to apply a gentle blur effect, creating smoother-looking skin.

GPS support and Face Recognition:

Not a killer feature, but it will be fun for some.  Lots can be done with “Faces and Places” not mentioned here.

Aperture 3 automatically detects faces in photos when you import them. It then compares the faces and finds similar ones (similar to iPhoto).  You can then view faces by project, album, or folder.  Click the Facebook button to publish selected photos directly to your Facebook account. People named using the Faces feature are automatically tagged with Facebook names, and published albums can be automatically updated as you add, remove, or edit photos.

Places allows you to organize photos based on where they were taken, using GPS data embedded in photos when you took them or location data added in Aperture.  See where you took your photos on an interactive Google map displayed in Aperture. Choose from terrain and road maps or view satellite images with or without labels.  Import GPS locations for the photos you take with your GPS-enabled iPhone directly into Aperture.

Multiple Instances of Adjustments:

Nice! You aren’t limited to global adjustments any longer.

Apply multiple adjustments of a single type to different parts of an image by creating multiple adjustment bricks for each adjustment. For example, set one Levels adjustment to create the perfect sky. Then add another Levels adjustment brick to selectively perfect skin tones. To add a new instance of an adjustment, choose the Add New option from the Action pop-up menu in each adjustment brick.

Adjustment presets with live previews:

The live previews are a huge time saver when you don’t know what direction to take an image.  It’s also nice to have some common presets available as well as being able to create your own.

If you use a combination of adjustments frequently, save it as a preset. Then apply the preset to individual images or a batch of images. Aperture 3 includes dozens of ready-to-use presets, and you can easily create your own and export them for use by others.   The Presets pop-up menu in the Adjustments inspector displays a preview of each preset applied to your image, allowing you to assess the effect of the preset before you apply it.

Advanced Sideshows:

Apple is so good at building multi-media apps, it’s nice to see them finally bringing in these features to Aperture.  I’ve gone through so many slide-show making apps, hopefully this will end now that I can do it in version 3.

In Aperture, you can now export slideshows in a number of predefined formats, including YouTube, iPhone, Apple TV, HD, and 1080p. You can also specify a custom size and frame rate, and export slideshows using either the H.264 or MPEG-4 codec.  Using the Classic and Ken Burns themes, you can choose from a dozen transitions, including Dissolve, Fade through Black, and Fade through White.  Besides including a main audio track in a slideshow (such as background music), you can add a secondary audio track, such as a voiceover or narration, to create a true layered soundtrack.

Cures tool: (With brushes)

Meticulous pros know how huge this is.  Others may find the basic adjustments sufficient.  The extended range is a nice bonus.

Use the new Curves tool to adjust exposure and tweak color. Curve adjustments can be applied to luminance, RGB, or individual color channels. You can set the black, white, and midtone points, as well as place custom points along the curve using a target tool. All Curves adjustments can be brushed in or brushed away as needed to achieve desired results. Because the Curves tool supports the “extended range” data sometimes available in RAW images, you can set the Range control in Curves to Extended in order to see the “out of range” highlight or shadow data that you may be able to recover.

Summary

Fashionably late.  Although they are playing catch-up in some areas, they are breaking new ground in others.  I think this update will keep Aperture as a top contender for a while.  The biggest challenge they face is boosting the performance, as this is quite a memory and resource hog.  They need to be better at updating their camera raw support as well.

Free 30 day trial.  Price: $199 or $99 upgrade from previous versions.

Note: Amazon currently have Aperture 3 available for pre-order at $189 and $94.99 for the upgrade.

For videos of the new Aperture in action, check out Apple’s videos here: Pros with Aperture.

Purchasing an older lens can be an inexpensive way to explore new focal lengths, test new lens types or simply get a better lens at a lower price.

Watermarks are used for various reasons. To protect the copyright of images, to enhance their appearance or purposefully detract from it. Sometimes they blend in, other times obtrusive. Traditionally, water marks were what they say in the name: marks on images which were transparent, a watery resemblance of text overlaid on the image. Now, the term ‘watermark’ is broadened and widely used as a way to describe any form of text or imagery laid on or around an image to let folks know who that image belongs to.

I’ve been through a load of different watermarking methods so far and have been astounded at the lengths people will still go to in order to steal my images. One client even went so far as to take a screen shot of an image from her preview gallery and crop the portion of the image not touched by the massive © so that when I spotted the image on Facebook, only the top half of her daughter’s head remained. It was then that I realised that if a client isn’t going to purchase images from their session, and then proceed to steal the previews for their Facebook, I should at least make the image advertise my business by way of a watermark that clients actually enjoy being part of their image.

As important a function in your workflow as watermarking should be, I’m surprised by the lengths I’ve had to go through to find a way to watermark a batch of images. In Lightroom, the only way I’ve found is in the ’slideshow’ panel but of course, then you have the slide background and other elements to deal with. There are a host of downloadable programs to batch edit images, including adding a watermark, but the ones I’ve found have been rather archaic in their interface and I don’t feel that they have any artistic sense about them which doesn’t help when you’re in the visual arts field.

Finally, I’ve settled on a method which kills the proverbial two birds with one stone. Blogging templates. I’m a fan of The Album Cafe’s ‘Blog-it’ templates. They’re a cheap and customisable way to 1.} Format and resize your images for the web and 2.} Mark your images with text or a logo in an unobtrusive way that actually enhances your images in a way that clients will enjoy sharing with their friends and family (not all the blog-its have a place for a logo so choose carefully).

I’ve found that marking my images in this way and sending a couple choice shots to clients to share with their network of hundreds of friends has been a great way to advertise my business. I regularly get bookings from folks who saw their friends photos on Facebook.

How do you approach the giant that is watermarking?

The last article on curves looked at linear adjustments and how those adjustments affect the image and the histogram. So now we’ll take a look at some nonlinear adjustments within the curves adjustment tool found in many photo editing software packages.

We’re basically building on our basic understanding of the histogram and our knowledge of linear curve adjustments to take the next step into nonlinear adjustments (the curvy curves).

NONLINEAR MANIPULATIONS

What I’m going to show here are some very basic curves at each extreme. The single bend and double bend curves are most commonly used during post-processing, but these are not the only options. Curves can have a large number of set points, bends, and inflections — it’s just not feasible to cover every possibility in an article like this.

SINGLE BEND CURVES

The simplest form of a nonlinear curve is accomplished by moving a mid-tone location toward the upper left or lower right corner, forming a basic arc with a single bend. Essentially, your black and white points remain fixed while your mid-tones become lighter or darker (aka: brightness). Also note that one end of your tones will take on more contrast while the other end will lose contrast due to the change in slope of the curve (remember: vertical = high contrast, horizontal = low contrast).

This can be used to brighten or darken the overall image if you want to maintain your highlights and shadows at their current values.

DOUBLE BEND CURVES

Also known as the “S-Curve”, this curve manipulation pushes one section of tones brighter and another section of tones darker (aka: contrast). Again, you can maintain your black and white points, but you also maintain some middle tone where the curve crosses the diagonal. On the note of contrast again, be aware that you will sacrifice contrast in one area to gain it in another.

This can be used to raise or lower the contrast of the overall image with a focus on the mid-tone areas. The bright/dark tone changes of the highlights/shadows are amplified by the mid-tone slope change — so it doesn’t take much to really change the contrast.

APPLYING NONLINEAR CURVES

The beauty of the curve adjustment is that you have such a wide range of possibilities — much more dynamic than a single slider adjustment. To apply curve adjustments, you simply click a location on the curve and drag it to the desired location. The curve will bend on its own based only on your set points. You can continue to add set points until you have the desired result.

Using the example image above (middle of series), here’s one possible curve that combines linear, single bend, and double bend curves. Keep in mind that I haven’t applied any basic adjustments and what you’re seeing is pure curves from an unprocessed raw file (except for the b/w conversion).

Notice that I used a double bend curve to increase contrast. Combine that with a single bend curve to increase brightness. And combine that with a linear adjustment to set my black and white points. I’ve also placed several extra points on the curve in order to bend it into the shape I wanted while maintaining a smooth transition.

As you work with curves, you’ll noticed that they sometimes have a mind of their own. Extra points will help shape the curve and provide you with the ability to make the adjustments you want. On that same note, too many set points can lead to choppy and lumpy curves. Non-smooth transitions generally begin to produce strange contrast artifacts that are easily seen in the image.

A Guest post from Lisa Newton by Lisa Newton Travelin’ Local

My business website is a hyper-local niche online lifestyle magazine, Travelin’ Local, where I features countless walking and bike riding maps, including a judicious quantity of photos to accompany my stories for the area that we specialize in, which includes Los Angeles and environs.

Eager to figure out and learn how to Geo-Tag my walks, I was amazed at the lack of information and knowledge regarding the how’s, what’s, where’s, when’s, why’s, and who’s, as it pertains to this technology and how to integrate it into stories, blogs, and websites. So, I took matters into my own hands and learned the old fashioned way; by investigation, experimentation, and implementation.

The first stop on my learn-by-doing adventure was, of course, the king of maps, Google.

Simply put, I would walk a route, and keep copious notes of the streets I was walking, the turns I made, or the landmarks I saw along the way.

While taking pictures at the same time, my goal is to obtain the best possible visual record of where I’m going, and where I’ve been. Sometimes, I would just shoot the street sign to avoid the interruption between story and record keeping, as well as having to not write anything down.

After I got home, I’d pull up my Google Maps and create a new map based on whatever particular story I was working on. You need to have a Google account in order to create a map, but that’s a snap to set up.

Once you have an account, go to My Maps and “Create a Map.”

moves the map around

creates a place marker. By using the dropdown menu, you are offered many choices for this icon.

the third and final option is the best of all. With its line tool dropdown list, Google provides several methods for mapping your route:

1. Draw a line, which allows you to draw any type of line anywhere on your map
2. Draw a line along roads: Just as the name suggests, the tool follows lines along established roads. Here it pays to mark your route by clicking often. Sometimes, Google tends to have a mind of its own.
3. Draw a shape: If you need to map an area rather than a route, this freehand tool allows for that.

Once you determine which tool suits your purpose, you’re ready to start creating.

After you get your route done, the fun part starts by adding points of interest, photos, comments, information, links, and any other necessary information to create the story you want your readers to enjoy.

Within the place marker box, Google gives you three options to take advantage of:

• Plain text which is just as it reads; you type and it appears
• Rich text parallels WYSIWYG, giving you the ability to add images, make font changes, and add bullets, etc., to your place maker. If you’re not an expert at coding, which is where I tend to live, this tool is a lifesaver.
• Edit HTML allows you to get behind the scenes, so to speak, and change the coding or add coding as you deem fit.

Basically, if you’re skilled at coding, you can create a webpage for each place maker.

As far as geotagging your pictures within Google Maps, it’s a totally manual project. You place the marker where the photo was taken, and when you hit the image icon, an html box pops up. Each picture is uploaded via the Rich text tool, so each picture has to have its own URL. When I add pictures to Google Maps, I upload them to my blog first, cut and paste the URL, and then add them to Google.

Once you finish your map, the best part is that you can now embed it into your site, or share the link with friends:
View Hollywood Walk of Fame in a larger map

It’s a time consuming process, but one well worth the effort. I love sharing my walks with my readers, and Google Maps is one way to do that.

Classical or contemporary; architectural photography can be as challenging as it is rewarding. Here are some pointers to help you get started…

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center – by Stuck in Customs

1. Be sensitive to the direction of light as this can increase contrast, shadows, textures and reflections. High levels of contrast can fool cameras into exposing the scene incorrectly, but shooters can easily overcome this by applying exposure compensation. Another trick is to bracket shots at different exposure values (exposing one for the highlights, one for the midtones and one for the shadows) and later merge them in a dedicated HDR program (such as Photomatix).

2. A fish eye or wide-angle lens (and focal length) is ideal for this genre as it enables photographers to frame the entire building within its environment. However sometimes your glass may not be able to encompass the whole scene, which is where the helpful panoramic format can come in handy. Many compacts now offer a specific Scene mode for stitching together several shots in camera, but the same effect can be achieved post-shoot with dedicated panoramic software such as; as Hugin or PTgui if you are shooting with a DSLR.

3. We are told it’s what’s on the inside that counts and sure enough architecture photography isn’t restricted to the facia of a building. It can be difficult to correctly white balance an interior setting, especially ones that are reliant on various forms of artificial lighting, so remember to compensate accordingly in the White Balance menu or take a reading from a grey card. Interior shots in older buildings tend to be more irksome because they traditionally feature small windows and doors – thus lack natural light. Try using a tripod and executing a long-exposure and remember you could always utilise an ND filter to stop highlights being blown out when shooting in the day. Alternatively you could use supplementary lighting, such as a diffused flash but be careful as this may rob the scene of its atmosphere and detail.

4. When the sun goes down a new form of architectural photographer can surface. To shoot a structure as a silhouette during sunset, position the architecture between yourself and the sun. Make sure the flash is deactivated and expose for the sky. If the foreground is too light set the exposure compensation to a negative value to darken it. This effect can produce particularly enigmatic results. Night shots can be very dramatic and atmospheric too, but remember to take them when there is still some light and colour left in the sky as this adds tone to the backdrop and help to illuminate details. As before get into a good position and set your camera on a tripod and wait for the dazzling display of urban lights from windows, street lights, signs – all of these in their rainbow of neon colours will add to the ambience. Use a wide aperture and long exposure, and if your camera is supported you’ll be able to employ a low ISO to ensure details aren’t depreciated by noise.

The Neo Monoliths of Chicago – by Stuck in Customs

5. Unlike other forms of photography, exciting architectural images can be produced in all weathers. A church on a clear day may strike the viewer as pleasant but maybe a bit bland, revisit it when there’s a storm brewing overhead or a mist rising from the damp earth and the results can be altogether more intriguing. By revisiting and shooting the same building in these various weather conditions, photographer’s can produce a neat portfolio of shots – maybe select the best three and you’ll have yourself an interest triptych.

6. Reflections add an extra dimension to architectural images and allow the photographer to create a canvas on which the building can be playfully distorted. Urban environments are littered with a multitude of reflective surfaces, so you’ll never have to look too far to practice, for example: windows, water features, puddles and wet streets, sunglasses, rivers and modern art.

Tervuren, Belgium – by fatboyke (Luc)

7. Research the reason why the architecture exists – you’ll be surprised how a little bit of background information can fuel a great deal of inspiration. Ask a guide to point out small yet interesting aspects that perhaps go unnoticed by the general public. Buildings of architectural merit usually include focal points so try cropping in close on these for frame-filling abstracts. Furthermore you may want to include repeated artefacts that are littered across the exterior, for example; intricate brickwork or chequer board windows. Use a telephoto lens to zoom in close and don’t forget a tripod to support those longer focal lengths.

In this post Lisa Newton from Travelin’ Local shares a little of her quest for the perfect woman’s camera bag.

Many women want the option to have a camera bag that looks as great as it functions, so it can be part of our wardrobe. I’m certain that I’m not alone in this need.

So in my quest to find the “perfect” woman’s camera bag, I was eager to do my homework. So I read several reviews, posts, and forums on the subject. For example:

• Sime’s favorite Camera Bag is the thinkTANK Streetwalker HardDrive camera backpack.
• Peter Carey wrote a great blog post about Choosing a Day Bag for Your Camera.
• And everyone who answered the poll that DPS provided, which aggregated their readers varying opinions about their favorite camera bags, into a top category list.

In my dogged pursuit of finding the “perfect camera bag,” I thought it would be a “cake-walk.” Although, I pursued my homework and more, shat I didn’t expect to find was that I couldn’t find a bag that fit the criteria I needed.

I didn’t think my requirements would be too difficult to meet:

The bag had to be large enough to fit my “purse” accoutrements including my wallet, make-up, and hairbrush, etc. Plus, I needed a bag that would be able to fit my laptop, which I want to take with me on various location shoots.

Most importantly, I wanted to be able to fit in my camera, a Nikon D40, along with enough room for both the camera’s 50mm and 70-200mm lens’. I always use both because I never know which one is going to provide me the shot I want and envision.

For my new camera bag I needed one to meet my main requirements, which include:

• Sturdy fabric
• Pockets
• Large internal space
• Shoulder straps
• Look likes a purse
• Reasonable cost

After shopping around a bit—actually quite a lot–I couldn’t find what I was looking for. I love the backpack camera bags, but I’d prefer to walk into a business meeting carrying something more resembling a “purse,” not a backpack or messenger bag.

As a result, I found that there are a few camera bags designed for women like the Shootsac, which is pretty cool, but not exactly what I was looking for. Or the Jill-e Designs, which are also great, but again, didn’t meet all of my criteria.

So, what did I do?

I crafted my own camera bag!

First, I purchased the bag part from eBags. It’s actually a large purse, which met all of my above requirement criteria.

The next problem I had to solve was the issue of protecting my laptop and camera. Laptop sleeves are widely available so that wasn’t a big problem. I already had a lens case for my 70-200mm, so in the search for my perfect camera bag, I had two of my requirements met. But I still had one more problem to solve, because I wasn’t really familiar with how to best protect my camera.

Looking around a little more, I bought a Domke Protective Wrap, the large 19 incher. I hadn’t seen it before, but it turned out to be the perfect “bag in a bag” for my camera.

So now, I have my perfect camera bag—it fits all of my female items, my laptop, and all of my photography gear into one bag that met my requirements and needs both as a woman photographer, and as a publisher and photojournalist. When the bag is fully loaded, it’s a bit heavy, but the way I look at it, I’m getting a little more exercise when I walk, while carrying an overweight bag.