Digital Innovations

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Joe Farace  |  Sep 01, 2010  | 

“I don’t have a photograph, but you can have my footprints. They’re upstairs in my socks.”—Groucho Marx

Recently I saw an impressive demonstration of Samsung’s (www.samsung.com/us/learningresources3D) three-dimensional television and while not inexpensive, it was far less than...

Joe Farace  |  Aug 01, 2010  | 

“Cleverness is like a lens with a very sharp focus. Wisdom is more like a wide-angle lens.”—Edward de Bono

Old news now, but when I started writing this month’s column I’d just purchased an Apple iPad, which may turn out to be a flop like the original Newton—don’t laugh, I had one of those, too—or a runaway success like the iPod. So far, the...

Joe Farace  |  Jul 01, 2010  | 

“Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything.”—Charles Kuralt

The most important secret I can share with you about travel photography is that you should not buy a new camera or lens just before leaving for Kathmandu, Machu Picchu, or even Boise. The next most essential...

Joe Farace  |  Jun 01, 2010  | 

“Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. He was a means to an end.”
—Walt Disney

When I was a kid I watched Disneyland being built on Walt Disney’s TV show of the same name and so Anaheim, the location of this year’s PMA (Photo Marketing Association) Show, has always held a special place in my heart. Yet during this trip, I never saw Sleeping...

Joe Farace  |  May 01, 2010  | 

“They say it’s your birthday. We’re gonna have a good time.”—John Lennon & Paul McCartney

May is National Photography Month that was originally started by President Ronald Reagan in 1984 as a week-long American Photography Celebration but now it is a full month. It’s also the former home of the “Take Your Camera to Work Day” that I...

Joe Farace  |  Apr 01, 2010  | 

“Now join hands, and with your hands your hearts.”—William Shakespeare

There is more to wedding photography than capturing the image. Afterward there’s more work involved getting all of those images sorted, edited, and prepared for the web or albums for the happy couple and their parents. This month, I’ll introduce you to a few software and hardware tools that...

Joe Farace  |  Mar 01, 2010  | 

“A photograph is a secret inside a secret. The more you see, the less you know.”
—Rian Johnson from The Brothers Bloom

As digital imagers in a worldwide economy we have lots of image-processing options available, not only from this country but also from software designers located all around the world. This month I’ll show you some of the latest examples of...

Joe Farace  |  Feb 01, 2010  | 

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”—Groucho Marx

Other than live motorsports I don’t watch much television, preferring movies on DVD or Blu-ray, but during the winter racing hiatus I found two programs whose photography is nothing short of sensational. The first is, not surprisingly, BBC...

Joe Farace  |  Jan 01, 2010  | 

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”—Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Updating to Photoshop CS4 was a rude awakening. I’d put it off because the changes didn’t seem substantial enough but over time I finally realized it was a good idea, at least until I tried to make a...

Joe Farace  |  Dec 01, 2009  | 

“Open your presents at Christmastime but be thankful year round for the gifts you receive.”—Lorinda Ruth Lowen

Submitted for your Secret Santa’s approval: a list of gizmos, gadgets, and gear for the digitally-minded who “have everything” but didn’t know that they really needed lots more stuff to produce that ultimate image. Use this month’s...

Joe Farace  |  Nov 01, 2009  | 

“Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest.”—Isaac Asimov

One possible answer to the proverbial question “what is pro gear” might rightly be answered in this month’s Web Profiles (I don’t want to ruin the surprise), but a more conventional answer will be found in...

Joe Farace  |  Oct 01, 2009  | 

“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.”—George Eastman

Intense competition for price and market share in the photographic lighting business produces lots of copycat and me-too products, making real innovation a rare commodity. Gary Regester is perhaps...

Joe Farace  |  Sep 01, 2009  | 

“To err is human—and to blame it on a computer is even more so.”—Robert Orben

Wi-Fi and printing are two words I never expected to use together in a sentence, but after working with Epson’s (www.epson.com) Artisan 700 All-in-One I can’t imagine it any other way. For openers, the Artisan 700 is compact...

Joe Farace  |  Aug 01, 2009  | 

“The warmth of the air, on a summer day.”—The Beach Boys

Clearly one of the most significant advantages of digital capture is that you get to see the results now! There’s no waiting; it’s instant gratification. Nowhere is this more important than when selecting a background for studio photography, even if your studio, like mine, is a temporary basement setup.

Joe Farace  |  Jul 01, 2009  | 

“I’m not dumb. I just have a command of thoroughly useless information.”—Bill Watterson

The first PMA show I attended in 1982 was also held in Las Vegas. A lot has changed since then, but photography has clearly changed the most. Here are some of the highlights for digital photographers I saw at this year’s edition:
The D-SLR announcements were few but...

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