Young Boxer dog

Manchester Central Library

Market Street

Adobe CS3 prices leaked

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/software/adobe-cs3-pricing-leaked-by-amazon-247017.php

Paintwork

Unco-operative model

Smoke without fire

Got my new toy today - a fog machine. What a laugh! Who would have thought you could have so much fun. I can see a bubble machine being next on the list.

A must-read for artists-in-business

http://luminous-landscape.com/columns/Artist1.shtml
An easy article that covers the mistakes we all seem to make before we find some of the right answers.

If only it were that easy

Meg in the Park

Photo sequences

Are we going to see the end of the one shot sniper, to be replaced by the digital machine gunner? Judging from this thread, http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00KMXW&tag=, it seems that more and more photographers will take the easy way out and spray and pray

Dessert

Adolescence

A Country Dinner

Free Lightroom presets

onOne Software has a set of free presets available on their website - http://downloads.ononesoftware.com/photopresets/PhotoPresets-ReleaseNotes.html

Adobe Photoshop news

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/launchevent/
http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/ps_psext_info.html

Jill Greenberg video

Love her or hate her, she certainly knows how to get a lot of publicity - http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2007/01/jill_greenberg_2.php

An audience is always nice - isn't it?

Photo filter actions on video

This site - http://www.pfisterphoto-art.com/pjddrv2show/
includes a video that show some interesting filter actions applied to already good images.
It should spark a few creative ideas of how to add the finishing touches to your own work.

Model available

Will work for food

Ning sites

As part of maintaining a healthy web presence, I have started two rings on ning.com, one for general photography - http://manchesterphoto.ning.com/
and one for wedding planning and services - http://brides2be.ning.com

Wallflower

Fake Colour

Down the Centre

Down the canal

Sale Waterside offices

Sale tram station

Skyward

Walkies

Swinger

Introduction to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom v.1.0

I've been working my way through the first release of Lightroom and I think I have learnt what it is all about. I've decided I like it. I don't think it is a replacement for Photoshop, especially not CS3. However, depending on the sort of photographer you are and if you spend a lot of time making the photograph right in camera or do work like stock photography that does not want a lot of post-production, you could do without Photoshop and go straight from camera to delivery in several formats by using Lightroom alone.

These are the note points I made as I found out good points and useful features about Lightroom v.1. -

• Lightroom can import files direct from the card, copy, rename and make backups in different formats and in different folders and drives, all at once
• It makes very strong use of presets and templates. You can make and save templates for all sorts of situations - printing, applying settings when saving, applying edits automatically on import
• Since it is database driven, it can be backed up reliably and efficiently and all the settings and effects applied do not permanently affect the original image but are saved with the file
  
• It can make virtual collections without moving files
• It has a lot of ways of filtering files by keyword, settings, rating, metadata etc.It can apply metadata templates to files and you can browse and select images by metadata
• You can tag (stamp) files quickly with keywords
• Keyboard shortcuts are plentiful and easy to use to speed up workflow
• Views are totally adjustable and interface panels can be folded up out of sight
• Files can be grouped and stacked
• There are several ways of viewing images together to compare them
• Virtual copies of an original image can have different looks and still be used together in groups, slideshows and prints
• The Print Module lets you preview different layouts interactively, zoom, change borders and stroke borders and you can print directly from Lightroom without saving the different formats
• You can save and swap your own templates and modules and it has a good range of proof and work templates to start with
  
• You can personalise the Identity Plate to brand the Interface, watermark the proofs and prints and add information to prints
• Lightroom can make slideshows quickly and use soundtracks from an Itunes library. PDF slideshows are exported without sound though.
  
• Presets can be previewed without being applied so you can swiftly cycle through the choice
• You can save snapshots
• You can make changes to groups and selections of images at the same time, replacing batch work
• The Dust Spot Tool is re-editable by going back to it at any time and it can be used as a clone tool
• You can copy and paste Develop settings between images
• You can nest collections
• You can nest keywords in a hierarchy
  
• You can organise images very quickly with filters and the thumbnail icons.

I would say that Adobe have done a good job of building a replacement for Bridge and I think that most photographers will prefer to use Lightroom just because it makes the production of deliverables so quick and easy.