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June 2014 archive

Personal, Photography, Technology | 0 comment

OnOne Perfect Effects – Tech Thursday

Post Processing

Almost there with getting through my backlog of photo edits! Just in time for the weekend coming up. I am scheduled to cover the That’s Dancing Summer Showcase on Saturday. If you will be dancing, please see me at the studio! I will be taking orders there for special event pricing for your photos. For today’s post, I will be looking at the OnOne Software Perfect Effects 8 plugin for Adobe Lightroom.

Washington Monument - out of camera - ©TimeLine Media
Washington Monument – out of camera – ©TimeLine Media

Lightroom Plugin

If you follow OnOne on social media, or if you are on their mailing list, they have lots of tutors and offers for their products. A few months ago, they offered this program completely free! I have wanted to try their software for a while, but I know that I do not have the time to really invest in a new program. After downloading, it easily integrates into Lightroom. To start working on an image, right click the photo, select “Edit In” then select “Perfect Effects 8”. You will then have the option to work on the original image (if it is a Tiff or JPG file) or to work on a copy with Lightroom adjustments (if it is a RAW file).

OnOne Software Perfect Effects 8 - ©TimeLine Media
OnOne Software Perfect Effects 8 – ©TimeLine Media

The program will open and you have all the presets listed on the left. When you select one of the presets, the large preview in the middle of the screen will change with each selection. On the right panel, you can see that Perfect Effects uses layers, much like Photoshop, to have more control over the adjustments. For this preset, I like the saturation that it adds to the sky and the grass. Here is the photo after export-

Washington Monument - Magic Forest preset from Perfect Effects 8 - ©TimeLine Media
Washington Monument – Magic Forest preset from Perfect Effects 8 – ©TimeLine Media

The presets have a large amount of choices to change your images. You can add borders, grain, you can even make tilt shift images with their blur options. Many of these functions are already available from mobile photo editing apps, but now you can have this in the desktop. The control that you have over them can be fine-tuned with the layers in Perfect Effects 8. I will definitely try more of this with future projects to see the power of the program, but as a first try, it is really impressive!

Washington Monument with grain and borders from Perfect Effects 8 - ©TimeLine Media
Washington Monument with grain and borders from Perfect Effects 8 – ©TimeLine Media

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

Event, Photography | 0 comment

Tysons Corner Kids Club and Wegmans

The photos from today’s post are from another Kids Club event at Tysons Corner Center. In partnering with Wegmans grocery stores, there were some fun activities for children to take part. They had a station where they taught a safe and proper way to use a knife to cut up bananas. Another had a station with an example of a healthy snack – a smooth made from the bananas, strawberries, and yogurt. At the end of the Wegmans display was where parents could pick up a reusable grocery bag filled with more snacks, recipes and coupons for items at the store.

Tysons Corner Kids Club - ©TimeLine Media
Tysons Corner Kids Club – ©TimeLine Media

2004 was the first time that Wegmans had a store location in the DC Area. Since that time, they have made a huge impact on the market. In case you have not been, or are not familiar, these are not your ordinary grocery stores. They have very nice prepared food sections, bakeries, and spaces for visitors to eat in-store. My mom would even take out-of-town guests to the store as a destination – probably for the floral department that is always full of color.

Wegmans at Tysons Corner Kids Club - ©TimeLine Media
Wegmans at Tysons Corner Kids Club – ©TimeLine Media

There was also a talented face painter for the kids to visit, and a balloon artist that really made a lot of connection with those in line. The roaming emcee made sure that those waiting in line were also involved and entertained! He called those watching from the upper floor to join in the fun. It is always a nice photo assignment. Be sure to sign up at the Tysons Corner Kids Club website to be notified their schedule for events – I’ll get your photo when you are there!

Balloon Artist at Tysons Corner Kids Club - ©TimeLine Media
Balloon Artist at Tysons Corner Kids Club – ©TimeLine Media
Emcee and partner at Tysons Corner Kids Club - ©TimeLine Media
Emcee and partner at Tysons Corner Kids Club – ©TimeLine Media

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

Personal, Photography | 0 comment

Photo Editing Catchup

Today is a big catchup day in the studio. I have a couple of neat shoots that I have covered recently that I have not yet posted about on the blog. There are more shoots scheduled for this month, some dance related, some events, and some portraits. I am really excited about trying to make more photos for clients. Hopefully more blog readers and other visitors will ask me to help them with their photo projects. I am ready to take on the challenge!

HDR Image of Smithsonian Castle - ©TimeLine Media
HDR Image of Smithsonian Castle – ©TimeLine Media

Washington, DC

Speaking of challenges, every photo shoot has them. Before every shoot that I do, I am anxious about how I am approaching the task at hand. I no longer worry about whether or not I have the equipment. My gear is no longer a limiting factor. With all the different events and conditions I have covered in my career, I know that I have everything I need to make good photos. The only question is if I have mastered when to use each piece, and how to use specific gear.

Washington Monument on 70th Anniversary of D-Day - ©TimeLine Media
Washington Monument on 70th Anniversary of D-Day – ©TimeLine Media

Emphatically, there is no bigger regret as a photographer to have a piece of gear with you that you never took out of the bag. Esepcially if realize later it could have made your shoot better. This has happened to me on a few occasions, and it affects the way I view the images later. The fact that I could have done more but did not, really bothers me. It pushes me to learn the lesson and not repeat the mistake. This is one of the reasons that I think my job as a photographer is still exciting for me. I am far from mastering the craft, but I am encouraged by my progress. Each time I shoot, I have an opportunity to make new photos. Hopefully there are people reading this blog, or following my social media channels can see how things have changed for the better! Hopefully you get to catchup on your to-do list soon!

River Piers panorama - ©TimeLine Media
River Piers panorama – ©TimeLine Media

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

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