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May 2014 archive

Ballroom Dance, Event, Photography | 0 comment

Arthur Murray – Showcase Week

Arthur Murray Silver Spring, MD - ©TimeLine Media

Chantilly, Virginia

Today, I am back to work after the long holiday weekend. Overall we had nice weather, and we took advantage of the luck by spending a lot of time outside. The big project to work on for this week of course is the upcoming DC Area Arthur Murray Summer Showcase. It will be held this Sunday, June 1, 2014 at the Hilton McLean in Tysons Corner, VA. Similarly to our other events, the photos will be posted to the proofing website about a week after the event here:

http://proofs.timelinedc.com

Arthur Murray Silver Spring, MD - ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Silver Spring, MD – ©TimeLine Media

Foxtrot Professional Show

The photos on today’s post are from a Foxtrot performed by the Arthur Murray Silver Spring, Maryland studio. These two have been regulars on the blog as they do many shows to end these events. We have also seen them competing in open professional competitions together, so they are very well-practiced for the spotlight.

Foxtrot Pro Show - ©TimeLine Media
Foxtrot Pro Show – ©TimeLine Media

In their shows, they display their artistry and story-telling along with their technical skills. This Foxtrot had some beautiful lines that matched with the music. From my position, I was able to get a lot of these poses nicely as they moved around the floor.

Foxtrot Showcase - ©TimeLine Media
Foxtrot Showcase – ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Silver Spring, MD - ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Silver Spring, MD – ©TimeLine Media

These two add new wrinkles to their shows as they continue to progress in their dancing. Even though we have seen them dance so many shows in previous events, there is always something new that pops up with each routine. It continues to make them a crowd favorite with the students and staff from the other studios. I always look forward to see what they come with when I see them on the program. More shows like this will be on display this weekend. I’ll be ready!

Foxtrot Showcase - ©TimeLine Media
Foxtrot Showcase – ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Ballroom Dance, Event, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

Website Updates for Memorial Day Weekend

Website Updates

It has been a busy week at the TimeLine Media websites! The long weekend for Memorial Day is here. It is time to take a little break to look back at some exciting updates on the website. Thanks to everyone that has visited the proofing website to view the 2014 American Star Ball photos! I am so happy that many of you have found images that you would like to have printed or shared online. There is an early-bird sale for all purchases made at the website until June 9, 2014.

http://proofs.timelinedc.com

2014 American Star Ball - ©TimeLine Media
2014 American Star Ball – ©TimeLine Media

Other updates include the blog site you are reading right now. Unless you are on an RSS reader you may have noticed that there is a change to the look of the blog. After a few years of the old design, it was time for a change. Thanks to some of the regular visitors to the blog that noticed some of the errors popping up. If any of you notice that there are still some things that need to be fixed, please send me an email: Rassi at timelinedc.com

Arthur Murray Gaithersburg poter - ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Gaithersburg poster – ©TimeLine Media

Finally, I wanted to post about the Facebook poll about the upcoming Arthur Murray Summer Showcase. I have made posters from each of the professional shows from the Spring Freestyles. They are a bit of a departure from my usual images as I posted yesterday. I wanted to give the Analog Efex Pro 2 plugin a run with some of my images to see what it could do. It is definitely much more than an “Instagram-like” filter with all of the option and control you have over the adjustments, and can be a very useful tool for photographers. Please check out all 8 of the posters at the TimeLine Media Facebook page, and like your favorites. I will count up the Likes on Sunday, and the 2 posters with the most votes will be printed to display at the June 1 showcase. Happy Memorial Day!

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

Ballroom Dance, Event, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

Analog Efex Pro 2 – Tech Thursday

Post Processing

There is a proliferation of images these days. Affordable digital cameras, and smartphones has made photography so accessible to so many. Looking on Flickr, one of the most used social networks for sharing photos shows that the 4 most popular cameras used in its community are iPhone models! With so many of these similar cameras in use, it is easy to see why Instagram, VSCO, and other filter apps are popular. They all have filters that allow users to easily change the default image coming out of the camera. There is enough in these apps that you can drastically change an image right on your phone prior to sharing. This adds to the popularity of taking and sharing images online.

Original photo out of camera - ©TimeLine Media
Original photo out of camera – ©TimeLine Media

For professional photographers, these kinds of tools have been available in Photoshop and Lightroom for many versions. The difference to me is the ease of use. The complexity of these programs keeps photographers from taking advantage of these tools. Lightroom does come with presets that can give your images different looks by applying adjusted sliders to an image. Instantly you can get a different look by changing color, contrast, or any of the sliders in Lightroom.

Software Plugin

Lightroom edit of original photo - ©TimeLine Media
Lightroom edit of original photo – ©TimeLine Media

Some functionality you cannot get in Lightroom includes adding frames edges, creating double exposures, or adding grunge with layers. This is a function that is typically done in Photoshop which is not really my specialty. That is where Analog Efex Pro 2 from the Google Nik Collection. This is a plugin for Photoshop that allows you to make changes like adding dust, grain, and light leaks. You can also add a grunge, or sloppy frame that makes your photo look like it was taken out of a developer bath in the darkroom.

Analog Efex Pro 2 edit of photo - ©TimeLine Media
Analog Efex Pro 2 edit of photo – ©TimeLine Media

Analog Efex Pro makes it easy for you to made adjustments using sliders. There is no complicated switches or menus that you encounter in Photoshop, so it makes it easier to experiment and try different settings before finalizing your image. I’ll post more about this new program as it is really in depth as to what you can do. It is very powerful, and a great tool to add to your post processing.

Arthur Murray Chevy Chase - ©TimeLine Media
Arthur Murray Chevy Chase – ©TimeLine Media

TimeLine Media – www.timelinedc.com
703-864-8208

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