Simple, but yet seldom mention new edition in Aperture 3

Why do we need Focus Points? What have the engineers been thinking when they included this? I believe it is a cool new edition for beginners in Photography, an easy way on checking your focus after the shoot. I use it a lot during my training sessions explaining where the focus was during the actual shot, a cool teaching feature.

Focus Points
Hover over the Focus Points button in the Camera Info pane to see the focus points used by your camera to auto focus the image. You can also click the button to turn the display of focus points on or off.

The focus is on the red square

Large Caption Metadata View
Switch to the Large Caption view when entering captions. In this view, Aperture increases the size of the field and font, making caption writing easier.

Halo Reduction
This is a great one… at times we come across these ugly purple and blue fringes produced by certain lenses. Now we can get rid of those by using the simple Halo Reduction brush, see the screenshot below.
Use Halo Reduction to remove blue and purple fringes sometimes produced with certain lenses on overexposed areas. Simply paint over the halos to remove unwanted fringing. The brush can be used to eliminate difficult halos when Chromatic Aberration alone cannot completely remove them.

Keyboard Zooming
The last one for today is the Keyboard Zooming, very simple... but we forget it sometimes.
Use Command-Plus and Command-Minus on the keyboard to zoom images at predefined increments.
GD

PHOTOiNEWS.COM

We are proud to announce the launching of a Web Photo Gallery – PHOTOiNEWS - Beta Version exclusive for Mac users, in cooperation with Websync Intl.Co and Gunther Deichmann.

This site will cater for selected Semi Pro and Pro Photographers who are using Apple computers.

We include a forum and individual Gallery’s to all members and of course participants from the GD Photo Workshops. Tips, tricks and techniques on Photography, Software tools, hardware accessories and other related issues.

Our objective is to showcase the very best Photos from our members and expose them to a broader international market without being lost in Cyberspace plus providing interesting articles and discussions.

This is not a Flick’r or Multiply site! We are exclusive and showcasing only the very best Photos from our members.

In addition previous and future participants of the GD Photo Workshops have a free membership subscription automatically.
You have your own account password and username of course, upload your images, change your themes and many more exciting features.

THE BETA VERSION should be fully operational by September 4, 2010, please stay tuned for more details very soon.
GD

Aperture 3 tip...

The nice thing about Aperture 3 interface is that you have at full screen no clutter or obstruction, viewing your Photos at full screen mode made easy. All panels are floating and they can be called up any time and moved around freely. But if you need even more space and your Info/Adjustment panels gets in the way, then try this:

Click with your cursor on the adjustment you like to make and hold down the shift key the adjustment panel disappears showing you only the slider you're working with at the time. This is very useful if the Adjustment panels gets in the way and you like to view your images at its fullest, it is really that simple.
GD

Showing the floating adjustments panel



After holding down the shift key only the slider is shown,
see red square.

Tips, tricks & techniques...
getting more out of your Mac.


My Road set up... 15 inch MacBook Pro i7, 800 fire wire
card reader and two Lacie Rugged hard drives with a triple interface.

In recent months I have seen quiet a few newcomers to Mac or as we like to call them “Switchers” they moved from PC to MAC.
For those who are new to Mac and I am sure for some long time users as well, I like to share some simple shortcuts today making your work on a Mac even more enjoyable.

OK. lets start with Apple’s Snow Leopard 10.6.4

Sharing articles from your Safari Web Browser made easy

Did you know when you're browsing the web in Safari and found an article you like to share with friends or business partners that with a simple click you can send the page without copy and paste via e-mail?
Once in Safari just press Apple (Command Key) and the letter “I” instantly Mail will open up and the article is right there, add the e-mail address and you’re done. Very slick if you like to share articles without copy and paste. (Screenshot below)

Safari & Mail shortcut for sharing articles

The easy way in using Quick Look

I guess most of us know the slick “Quick Look” function on Snow Leopard by highlighting the document or photo icon on your desk top or files located in folders by clicking the right mouse button or going to File and activate Quick Look.
However there is a much faster and slicker way of doing exactly that.

Quick Look, highlighted only one Icon
Note: The Icon for sending your photos direct to your iPhoto Library
add to iPhoto is just above the arrow Icon for Full screen


Highlighted multiple Desk Top Icons, then open in Quick Look

Just highlight the document or what ever you like to look at and press "Spacebar" Wow... so much faster and efficient, I use it a lot for a Quick Look at photos, pdf files with multiple pages or other documents. You can even select multiple photos and within seconds you find what you're looking for, instead open the software which can take time e.g. open Word can take up to 15 seconds depending on the speed of your Machine. This one is a real time saver!

Very useful for screenshots, finding the right one quick, also great for locating Videos or photos you might have uploaded on your desk top and of course reading documents in full screen without open the software is just so much more fun.
There is even an Icon for sending your photos direct to your iPhoto Library.

A Quick look at your Videos

Don't be shy give it a test drive and play around a bit... you find endless possibilities and remember next time you’re looking for this elusive photo, video, document or like to read your pdf pages in full screen, just highlight the Icon press "SPACEBAR" without open the software.

A cool way moving selected Photos from
iPhoto (iLife '09) to your Aperture 3 Library.

Mac is all about drag and drop…very simple and efficient; say you decided to move from iPhoto to Aperture 3 and like to move “not all” but some of your important Photos to the Aperture Library.
Open Aperture 3 go to Import and select in the panel show iPhoto Browser click and your iPhoto Browser will open. Then highlight the photo or multiple ones and drag them into your Aperture 3 Library, (see screenshots) Aperture creates automatically a new Project, the only thing left to do, name the Project…and you're done.

Aperture 3 and Import panel open showing the iPhoto Browser bar.

Aperture 3 behind the open iPhoto Browser panel, it is here where
you select your photos and drag them into your Aperture 3 Library

In this exercise I have selected the Marine Images from my iPhoto Library, see screenshots.
Now you have your selected Photos in your Aperture Library…it is really that simple, very fast, efficient and so integrated.

Underwater Photos from my iPhoto library have now been moved to
my Aperture 3 library, at the same time Aperture created a new Project.

Of course you can also import your whole iPhoto Library if you chose to do so, in my workflow I use iPhoto for private photographs and my low res. images for the Web, using Aperture 3 for my pro and heavy workload.
Utilizing the full integration on the Mac can be so much fun, but it's also faster and more efficient.
GD

Photography tips, tricks & techniques, plus Aperture 3 tutorials @ Power Mac Center Greenbelt 3, Makati

Before I continue with my "Jurassic Park" in Club Paradise Palawan, Philippines Part 2 just a quick announcement on upcoming additional Workshops and Seminars at the Power Mac Center Greenbelt 3 Makati, please see the dates below:

June 25-27 and July 23-25
PHOTOGRAPHY & AFTER THE SHOOT
Experience Aperture 3 basics and integration on the Mac. Plus tips and tricks on Photography, learning how to use the camera.
Amateurs and semi-pro

August 23-25
PHOTOGRAPHY FOR MOM
" How to shoot your kids! "
Basic camera use, techniques in child photography & creating projects on Mac.

Oct 29-Nov 1
PHOTOGRAPHY LESSONS IN PALAWAN: Learn from the Pro.
Four days of fun and learning travel photography..exploring nature's beauty in Palawan
Amateurs and semi-pro (max 8 participants) please book this one early.

We also offer personalized 1on 1 tutorial and consultancy on Aperture 3, please contact the Power Mac Center for details and schedules. Understanding the workflow after the shoot and complete back up solutions for your Photos using Aperture 3.

Contact: http://www.powermaccenter.com/education

2/L Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center Paseo de Roxas Avenue, Makati City, Philippines Beside Music One and First Aid
Tel./ fax no.: (632) 729-7128 Tel. no. for Solutions desk: 729 - 7088 Text line: (+63917) 580-6852
Operating Hours: Mon to Thurs: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Fri to Sat: 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sun: 11:00 am to 9:00 pm
Power Mac Center Greenbelt 3, right beside our 1 on 1 Tutorial Room Details here.
Tel. no.: (632) 729-7087

For other Workshops in 2010 plus Cambodia and Nepal please go to:
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/gdphotoworkshop/page1/calendar.html

Energy Saver Panel

I unchecked also the Automatic Graphics switching (just for this exercise) in the System preference (Energy Saver).
Extreme circumstances…and most of the time we’re not going to push it so hard, but at least I know how long I can work before looking for a power outlet when I am in a tricky situation.
Please note: I can’t be held responsible for the information above, they are based on my own personal tests results and might vary on other units or under different conditions.

Aperture 3.0.3 Tip: Previews...

If you don’t see some of your Previews in the Aperture Browser (black frame) or you have the feeling they playing up…don’t panic just perform this simple exercise:

Move your cursor on the black image field…click the right mouse button on the appearing menu scroll down to Rebuild Previews and click here. (marked with red)
However if the next menu tells you (screenshot) that the previews are already up-to-date just perform the next step and all your missing previews will be back on the screen.

“The preview for the selected item is already up-to-date. To force it to be re-rendered, hold down the option key when choosing this menu item.”
GD

A cool way of switching &
creating a New Library in Aperture 3


© Gunther Deichmann - near the old royal palace in Durban Square
Kathmandu, Nepal Feb 2010...and NO I didn't put the flower there.

I guess most of us have heard by now the new switching capabilities of the Library making work with Aperture 3 (now 3.0.2) so much more efficient.

But did you know Aperture 3.0.2 has also the capability to export your Smart Albums as a new Library, one of the slickest new additions in Aperture 3 but it is seldom mention. Of-course you can also export your whole project as a new Library.

Say you have done your edit and marked your selected photographs with a Flag (another new addition) or you selected them with star rating, keywords etc. (again lots of options)

Then you created a Smart Album and your photos residing now in your Smart Album. (in my case the flagged ones)
You can export this Smart Album including your Masters (consolidate Masters) as a New Library to any destination you might see fit which is super cool.
For this exercise I have chosen my Desktop but you can easily send them to any external Hard Drive.
In my case the benefits are very simple, I can store my edited photos in a different location and whenever I need them just switch Libraries later, easy access plus I keep all my edited photographs together.

Highlight your Smart Album, click right Mouse button and you see the Export option choose Smart Album as New Library and another new panel will appear, see below.

Almost done...the only thing left to do...choose a folder or not, consolidate or not consolidate, previews (small screenshot below )etc. everything is so flexible, it is all up to you and your workflow. Once you have exported your Smart Album to a destination of your choice you have easy access to it.

Please Note: If your Smart Album or Project is very large the export could take some time to complete.

Give it a try... don't worry nothing will be lost. I suggest you create a small Smart Album first, like a "Test Smart Album"and feel your way around, but you better watch out...you might fall in love with it, like I have.

Extremely useful if you’re dealing with Stock Photography and different agencies who might request different sizes or information, which actually happens a lot to me.
Of course the flexibility of Aperture 3 gives you the choice what ever your workflow might be, you can decide what works best for you.

For me…one of the best and coolest new additions in Aperture 3, an excellent time saver and photo management solution.
GD

15000 images later...Aperture 3

© Gunther Deichmann - Hand made paper production,
Kathmandu Nepal, March 2010

Three days after the release of Aperture 3... I left for Nepal and India starting a 4-week journey including my Workshop in Rajasthan these are my honest and first impression of Aperture 3.

I just got back 10 days ago and like to give you now some serious feedback how Aperture 3 performed…straight out of the box.

You might ask, oh… that is a bit risky using this new and not tested latest software for a major trip like this
Not really, I have been using Aperture since day one, made my Hardcover book Journey Through Color & Time using Aperture 1.0 360 pages with tons of images from scanned tiff’s to the very first digital ones.

So when Aperture 3 was released only days prior my departure I felt confident in using the new release without any hesitations.
I installed Aperture 3 almost on my way to the airport, well almost some 48 hours prior my departure, had a quick look and from then on I used Aperture 3 shooting some 15,000 plus images.

© Gunther Deichmann - and there was light...
one of those moments... lasting only few minutes
Kathmandu, Nepal March 2010

Did I encountered some problems? Not really except for one or two glitches which got fixed with a Software update half way through my Journey, I installed that one in New Delhi. (3.0.1) And now only few days ago we received another super update, Aperture 3.0.2

Let me describe some of the new features I used for most of the time during my recent trip, they not only impressed me but made my editing on the road so easy… just awesome, sometimes pushing my MacBook Pro and Aperture 3 to the limit.

• Switching between Library’s is a breeze, now I can have for e.g. a Library for different Countries or what ever I see fit at a click of the button. It was good timing with the new release of Aperture 3, I created a brand new Library for my recent trip (actually two, one for India and one for Nepal) but can always go back to my previous ones at a mouse click. (Note: you might have to reprocess your images if they had been previously processed in Aperture 2, but that is also not a big deal if you choose only one or two photos. If you like them all to be reprocessed then depending on how many images you have this could take some time) For me this is a great new feature when dealing with thousand s of images, less strain on your machine.
• I love the new Import panel with all its options to choose from, including creating a back up already during Import. Check it out and set up your import panel to suit your workflow.
• Seeing your adjustments when you use the all-new Quick Fix in new Preset panel is very cool. Very nice is also the quick adjustments for different light conditions, changing the White Balance to tungsten, flash, fluorescent , etc., very easy now. I used it under some mixed light conditions in Varanasi, India. Also easy access to the adjustment panel right next to the Preset panel. Plus creating your own presets is real awesome…I use my own for sharpening, tailor made now for my Camera models.
• Switching your Machine to 64 Bit at the start improves Apertures performance, the only drawback is that other software might not work and you have to go back to 32 Bit, but soon or later others will follow and make it compatible also for 64 Bit.
• I love the all-new full screen Browser, bringing your editing to another level and speed.
• I also noticed a vast improvement on the RAW conversion, an excellent improvement, less tweaking and time required for image corrections now. A real time saver.
• Due to my type of Photography I don’t use the new build in Faces so much, but the new Places has some real benefits in particular if you have a GPS unit attached to your Camera. On my trip I used my iPhone to record the info and later imported the data into Aperture 3. I guess now I have to get my GPS attachment to avoid this work-around.
• Wow…the "Z" Key, a very cool improvement changing your zoom capabilities from 100% up or down, then hitting Z again to go back to full screen, very nice touch.
• Oh these Curves…gorgeous Curves…now they have been added, something which I missed in previous versions.
• Of course the new color-coding is very handy and useful, I started to use it now during my fine-tuning and more precise editing.
• Very nice touch: More information is displayed above your Metadata panel (this info is only visible when you click on the Metadata Panel), see screenshot below.

• I use the activity Monitor a lot especially during export, again more information is now available.
• During my Photo workshop in India all participants installed Aperture 3 and after a short intro they where all up and running without any major problems…in other words the learning curve or upgrading from Aperture 2 to 3 is relatively easy.
• We had two Lightroom users in our Group, both of them where very impressed, as a matter of fact one of them has switched now to Aperture 3 and the other is following shortly.
• Now, if your SLR has a Video function look no further, Aperture 3 will import all your Videos, with or without sound and you can edit all of that right in Aperture 3 creating awesome slide shows/presentations on the fly without ever leaving Aperture 3. Once finished you have all the export functions at your fingertips. BTW... The new slide show is so slick with a lot more new additions.

I am working on a nice presentation right now and in due time you get to see it on my Blog and You Tube/Vimeo.
To top it off you can also get this magic frame from your Video you might have missed in your still shot, just select New JPEG from frame and you’re done. (see screenshot)

Using for demo purpose a Video still from my iPhone

If you like to change the music you have easy access to your iTunes Library and you can import even previous Movies you have on file into Aperture 3, creating some awesome looking presentations mixing stills with videos. Yes, you have that magic Media Browser at your fingertips in Aperture 3.

Is that all? Oh no there is so much more… like, new Brushes, Chromatic abrasions (our underwater Photographers going to love this one) Flags, more adjustment tools etc., etc. and in due time I introduce them to you too.
I only mention some of the new features I used on my recent trip and of course the others which have always been part of Aperture.

The coolest part about Aperture is that you can customize your workflow the way you like it or the type of Photography you do, Aperture 3 has just become even more flexible.
Shooting a lot of images like I have done on my last trip, Aperture 3 performed just AWESOME!

Tip:
For those of you who have problems remembering some short cuts, here is a tip how you can customize your keyboard to suit you:

For example:
Commands with more than two or three keyboard shortcuts are sometimes difficult to remember e.g. like the Highlight Hot and Cold areas.
The default: Option – Shift – H
I use this one a lot, but on a bad day I sometimes get mixed up with this short cut so I changed it to S
How can you do this? Very easy…go to the top left hand side click Aperture and after that you see the drop down menu, click on Customize, a keyboard will show. (see screenshot) now you can customize your shortcuts like I have done with the Highlight Hot & Cold Areas.

Aperture is very customizable, it all depends on your need and type of Photography.

In my next Post I introduce you to the behind the scene images and a new Gallery with photos from the participants which where taken during our recent GD Photo Workshop in India.
Until soon,
GD

BTW...did you know that when you start up Aperture 3 it is in 64 Bit? You might noticed the difference if you have 4 or more Gig of Ram installed. However there are some issues when you work with previous installed Plug-ins, but nothing to worry Aperture 3 makes it easy.
Most of the plug-in if not all at the moment work only in 32 Bit and if you like to use them you have to restart Aperture 3, click on the image you like to edit (in my case I use the Noise Ninja Plug-in) click on the right mouse button, a small drop down menu appears and you see edit with Plug-in (32 bit) this will restart you Aperture 3 in 32 bit mode and stays like that until you close Aperture 3. Once you open Aperture 3 again you're back to your 64bit.

In a few days I am leaving for my main trip this year, plus my GD Photo Workshop in India where my lucky students have the opportunity to study and work with Aperture 3 in the field. I try to report from our locations whenever possible, of course like always depending on the Internet connection, speed and availability.
Check out also my Calendar Dates on the GD Photo Workshop site; "Introduction Aperture 3" at Power Mac Centers Manila Philippines, starting March 26.
GD

Another very new cool addition is the Zoom option (Z key) if you press this now say on full screen you have a new small thumbnail window, but now you can zoom in more, not just 100% very cool and so handy. Say you have zoomed in to 150% and like to go back to your 100% just hit the z key and you're back to your starting point of 100%. Personally, I find both of these new addition extremely useful for my particular workflow and I have to praise the engineers for an excellent job by in incorporating it into Aperture 3. Great Job Guys!
GD

My Love affair with Aperture 3 deepened.

Another very cool new feature in Aperture 3 is Presets found when you open the Adjustment panel, not only easy accessible but with a nice preview. Now you can see immediately the effect you might like to apply. Great for quick adjustments, just click on Presets and a menu appears, the only thing left to do move your cursor over the various adjustments options, and every time you move your cursor over a different effect/adjustment a nice size thumbnail appears along side of it, showing you the changes. There is plenty to choose from; all your Black &White and color adjustments are at your fingertips now.
A superb new addition and something I am going to use a lot from now on.
Try it out and I am sure you’re going to be impressed just like me.
GD

Recent visited places from Mindoro Isl., Puerto Galera, City
of Batangas, Makati and Manila shown as Satellite Map

If you're not using a Digital Camera with a GPS function that is Ok. just use your iPhone and whenever you stop or from the Car window take a quick shot. Later import the photos from your iPhone into Aperture 3 activate Places and the rest is easy. I be writing a lot more about this cool addition from the road. Click on the Places icon at the upper right hand side at the toolbar to get you started.

Recent visited places in Makati and Manila shown as Road Map

10 days ago I went to the Island of Mindoro/Puerto Galera and I took some happy snaps with the iPhone, then on the way back I also stopped in Batangas and then back to Manila. Of course there have been some gaps where I didn't stop to get some images but all the rest had been recorded, very accurate I might add, see the attached screenshots. Map options are Satellite - Road or Terrain.
Ok the only "drawback" is that my wife from now on always knows where I am or I have been, ha, ha. but that is fine with me too, nothing to hide.

Recent visited places in Makati and Manila shown as Terrain Map

To activate your Places before they work you have to go first to the Aperture 3 Preferences settings and activate it, then click on the Advanced setting a small drop down menu appears and you see Look up Places, the default setting is on Never just click on the Automatically and you're done.
Again an excellent new addition to Aperture 3 and as you can see I am getting fine tuned for my big trip starting next week.
GD

Tags: Places, , GPS logging, Nepal, ASIA, Google Maps, , Kathmandu, Philippines

Don’t under estimate your Monochrome Mixer

for cool Black & White Photos.

© Gunther Deichmann - ferns.

I shoot color, seldom B&W with the odd exception or when it is requested by a client, I am also not a friend of any type of manipulation but for commercial and advertising work I sometimes have to follow the clients need.

If you really understand Aperture then you be amazed what you can do without using another software.
Not so much altering the image but creating nice B&W Photos or removing some color in certain areas, read on below;


Making simple adjustments using the Monochrome Mixer in Aperture 2, but this time we take it a step further; I just love the Monochrome Mixer in Aperture 2 creating on the fly some nice Black and White images and reducing the color in others using the color slider.

Screenshot showing the open Adjustments Panel
including the open Monochrome Mixer & color sliders.

Switch to the Adjustments interface in Aperture

Small red square; this is where you find your Monochrome Mixer just click on the small arrow and a drop down menu opens, scroll down and you see the Monochrome Mixer. Click on it and your color image is getting converted to B&W.

Large red square; here you find all your adjustments you need for creating nice B&W images, you can make some basic adjustments with another drop down menu that gives you a good selection of traditional B&W filters.
In most cases this works just fine or you can make your adjustments manually like I have done. However I recommend that you play around a bit and find your own personal settings, different images... different taste.
Experiment with the color sliders and the color squares when in the Monochrome mode and you find that the Monochrome Mixer can do a lot more than you thought.

There is actually no need for additional plug-ins or Photoshop you can use the Monochrome Mixer in Aperture in most cases, of course there are limitations.
Since this was a commercial shoot and the client requested some B&W’s I edited them all in Aperture 2 and tweaked them a little more then I normally would do.
You can get a lot out the Monochrome Mixer, including some good looking Infrared images. (that is for one of my next post’s, Infrared images using the Monochrome Mixer in Aperture.)

© Gunther Deichmann - lemon with a twist...

Removing saturation: The image with the glass and lemon I did not convert using the Monochrome Mixer, I used the Color slider in the Adjustment panel and moved all of them to the left (minus -) in the saturation, except for the yellow one, this one I increased to approx. 50 (plus +) in the saturation.
Then I adjusted the contrast a little and tweaked my exposure. This one was easy, since almost all the color in the image had been blue, see the original image from my previous post: “Blues Night” 27-01-2010 | 22:08 Filed in: Photography | Aperture 2 | ASIA
GD

Just one more...



© Gunther Deichmann - Buri Resort & Spa
The Pier at sunset in Puerto Galera

Aperture 2.1.4 Tip: Sluggish performance?

For those of you who have missed this post from March 2009 and due to more recent concern re. Aperture 2 performance with newer Camera models, I have posted this article again plus some additional comments re. Aperture 2.1.4

© Gunther Deichmann - Phnom Kulen, Cambodia very first test
on the Nikon D300s using the repaired 180mm 2.8 lens.
Shooting Raw and imported into Aperture 2.
Thanks to Nikon Singapore for doing such a great Job on my Lens.

BTW importing files from the new Canon D7 and the Nikon D300s are absolutely flawless since the recent RAW file update by Apple. As a matter of fact I was in Cambodia at the time when the update arrived...installed it and imported all my RAW photos from the Nikon D300s without any problems, about 2000 plus of them, including some Video files and Aperture 2.1.4 ask me where to store them too. They went on the Desk Top for some very quick editing with the new and very cool QT, released together with Snow Leopard

Video Screen shot from the Nikon D300s straight from the Box
into the Phnom Kulen Waterfall in Cambodia ...very first test.
No adjustments on camera or lens, more and real video
from the Nikon D300s later.

In 2009 we saw quiet a few new camera models hitting the market; bigger...better?...more pixels... hence requiring more storage and more computing power and I am sure the trend is going to continue in 2010.
I have mention the word Patience in my post from the 24th of December...see below some excerpts from the article, we see more new Camera models in 2010 and if we like it or not they will require some more powerful computers to cope with the ever increase in MB per image. The performance can drastically be improved by running Leopard or the latest Snow Leopard...I have written an article on the performance increase on the Snow Leopard, big difference in speed and no more sluggish behavior.
(Article from September 5, 2009: Test driving Aperture 2.1.4 on Snow Leopard. Is Aperture 2 running smoother & more efficient now?) Again I have posted the most important improvements below.

© Gunther Deichmann - Heritage Suites Hotel Spa
Nikon D300s using the 50mm 1.4 G lens. (wide open)
Imported into Aperture 2 as RAW file.

Excerpts from my previous post Dec. 24, 2009
New Camera models have been popping up non-stop in 2009; now we blame Apple and other for not keeping up… sad! What ever happen to patience? From my past experience when Apple has done something they did it real well and not using some Beta version like Adobe with Lightroom. Would you buy or work with a Beta Version of a Camera? As a serious Photographer I don’t like to test things, I like them to work…don’t forget who came out first with the almost perfect Digital Photography workflow…Aperture was way ahead and made things possible which had been very difficult before and could only achieved with Photoshop then.
Patience…all real GOOD things take Time and I am sure Apple will come up with something soon enough…they have always done so in the past, maybe a bit slower but for sure it will be awesome and no need for Beta testing.

Last years article on performance re. Aperture 2

Just like a car engine, Aperture 2 needs also a good tune up once in a while to run smooth and trouble free.
Say you working happily away and all off a sudden this window appears asking you to Rebuild or run a Consistency check.

Since you never seen this window before…panic strikes… oh my what is wrong?
This happen to me a few times, pushing Aperture to the limit…but don’t worry it is an easy fix.

It’s Ok… Close down Aperture, then hold down the Option and Apple Key while restarting Aperture again, now this little window appears asking you either to Rebuild or run a Consistency Check.
I have run both options and not only if I got the warning but also when I noticed that Aperture was running sluggish or behaving a bit erratic.

This works well if you have a lot of projects and images, however you have to have a bit of patience running the Rebuilding or Consistency Check as this could take some time, it all depends on the size of your Library.
Don’t Panic again if after the Consistency Check some of your Projects and files have disappeared, no worries just repeat the step and this time run Rebuild and you find all your Projects are there.
If you’re not comfortable activating the Rebuild or Consistency Check window then just wait until the window appears one day, but then you have almost no choice but to go through this exercise keeping Aperture 2 running nice smoothly.
But isn’t nice that Aperture 2 is given you a warning sign, just like the oil indicator for your Car engine.

Now a final word of advise, make sure you made a back up of all your Images on an external drive, regardless how good your Mac or how big your drive is and how well Aperture 2 performs, back up is rule number one… disaster can strike anytime.

Note: I work exclusively with reference files and keep all my Projects on external drives as well, backing up everything in the field with two identical hard drives. Back home I then transfer all my files and Projects to my Mac Pro storing everything again on my Raid system for back ups, only then I delete the Images on my portable Hard drives. I also archive my Project when I am done with them on external drives, giving me breathing space for my Library, I can always go back to them when needed.

Excerpts from the article September 5, 2009:

Test driving Aperture 2.1.4 on Snow Leopard. Is Aperture 2
running smoother & more efficient now?

1. Opening Aperture, much faster now with Snow Leopard

2. Going to full screen mode, no more delay, it is instantly

3.Selecting multiple images in editing mode and then going to full screen, very fast now.

4. Retouch Tools & Spot Patch Tools have improved by 100% almost no more delay when retouching using clone or repair tools, this is a very big improvement.

5. Opening from within Aperture an External editor like Photoshop CS3 is super fast now

6. Opening Mail from within Aperture also super fast improvement by at least X2

7. I exported some 28 high res Raw images in one go as Versions to full jpg size, wow, that went real fast, again a huge improvement.

8. I also experienced the same during import using a fire wire 800 Card reader, nice speed increase.

9.There had been some delays before on some commands in particular the Cloning and Repair but that has disappeared now.

10. I tried also the slide show with some 50 plus Raw images, almost no delay very cool.

11. Edit with: Dodge & Burn, very fast opening with the use of the Tools, super fast on saving and closing.

12. Hitting the Z key (zoom) wow again, it is instant; the bit sluggish Navigation before is now very smooth, the same applies for the Loupe much faster and so much more responsive on all settings.

Aperture 2.1.4 performs very impressive on Snow Leopard, a significant speed increase and overall smooth performance. I think Aperture was ahead of its time and was just waiting for the New Cat…. Snow Leopard is made for Aperture 2.1.4 the perfect combination. Not to mention the increase of disk space after installation of the S.L.very cool. (see my comments from my previous Blog Post)

Run like you never run before… Aperture 2.1.4 is doing just that; everything is just so much more liquid and responsive.
I only used Raw and very large Tiff files, really pushing it, editing has picked up another 100%.
So, if you’re using Aperture 2.1.4 go ahead and install Snow Leopard, find out why I love Aperture even more now, feel and experience the difference.
GD

Please note the above information is based on my personal test only, and I can’t be held liable if you experience different results or performances.

Straight out of the Box & into the
Jungle of Cambodia...

© Gunther Deichmann - Cambodia Dec. 2009,
Nikon D300s and the 50mm f:1.4 G Lens

Well not quiet out of the Box but almost… I picked up the Nikon D300s and the new 50mm 1.4 G Lens in Singapore. The D300s is the replacement unit for my water damaged D2x…remember the Rice Paddy incident in September…thanks to Nikon Singapore for providing me an excellent deal and rescuing my totally water drenched 180 2.8 mm lens. They did a great job, my special thanks to Jonathan from the Service Center at Nikon Singapore.
I only had little time to go through the Manual but since I am a Nikon user from way back it was fairly easy to work my way through the D300s.

© Gunther Deichmann - Red Bananas, Cambodia Dec. 2009,
Nikon D300s and the 50mm f:1.4 G Lens

The first time I used the Camera was at Phnom Kulen shooting some rare red Bananas, yes you have heard right, RED Bananas, supposedly only found in the Jungles of Phnom Kulen.
It was here that I used also the new 50mm f:1.4 G lens for the first time, I am truly impressed with excellent image quality even at f:1.4 wide open with superb color rendition.

© Gunther Deichmann - Butterflies at Phnom Kulen Waterfall,
Cambodia Dec. 2009,
Nikon D300s and the 50mm f:1.4 G Lens

An hour or so later I set the D300s up for some Video footage at the Phnom Kulen
Waterfall, easy operation but before I post the results I have to do some editing first of the clips, sorry not enough time at the moment.
After the red Bananas I shot some Butterflies at the Phnom Kulen Waterfall and then we went deeper into Jungle to a very special Cave only using the D300s with a mix of Lenses... fighting darkness, water dripping from the ceiling and Bat shit.
A lot more from this very special place later, yes I know my suspense again…but all good things take time!
I have another super early start tomorrow, so I finish now with my first verdict that the D300s is an outstanding Camera and with the 50mm f: 1.4 G Lens just awesome. All images have ben processed using Aperture 2 with almost no adjustments.
Thanks to Didier from Heritage Adventures for providing all the transportation and logistics.

Just one more from this afternoon at Angkor Wat...

© Gunther Deichmann - an afternoon at Angkor Wat
Nikon D300s with 50mm f:1.4 G Lens

But now its time to go to bed, G, night... until very soon.
GD

This one fits in your pocket and I use it on my iPhone to show clients and friends presentations or videos, lets be honest a presentation with good sound/music is so much nicer and you don't have to pass the earphone around anymore.

Don’t know yet its availability outside Asia, but you can get it for about US$ 34.00 at Power Mac Center in Manila and of course in Singapore where it is manufactured.

I was amazed by the output, a perfect companion when you travel or like to listen to your favorite music in your Hotel Room.
Another cool feature…you can hook up more than one unit and fill the room with your favorite music from your iPhone or iPod

I am thinking to try out the X-mini on my next flight inside the aircraft… but on second thoughts I better not, they might throw me off the plane for playing my music to loud.
GD

The new iPod family is now available at all Power Mac Centers:

I was in the mood last night… for "cooking,"
using only a few ingredients to create a nice meal.

Check out the final meal in YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBdyMR8fq0s&feature=channel

Recipe & Ingredients

Main Ingredients; the Images from India & original audio recording.

MacBook Pro
iPhone with iTalk app. installed
Aperture 2 ( 2.1.4)
GarageBand from iLife ’09
FotoMagico 3 Pro (Version 3.0.8)
Good Internet connection

Just follow these simple steps…after editing the images in Aperture 2 make sure you filed them in their Albums or Smart Albums for easy access in FotoMagico later via the nice build in Media Browser.
Like with any good cooking it is important you have everything well prepared before you start.
I prepared the soundtrack earlier in GarageBand using the original recorded audio on my iPhone from India, mixing it plus adding some instruments. I use iTalk together with iTalk Sync from Griffin an excellent application for the iPhone.

You record with iTalk and later transfer the audio file wireless to your Mac with the installed iTalk Sync. Now you can use the audio file in iTunes or modify it in GarageBand like I have done, mix it up a bit…and bingo! This way you created an original sound track for your presentation or in this case for our FotoMagico slide show.
Pls. Note: I only use my own compositions or paid audio, this is more original and you don’t have to worry about any Copyright infringements.

Lets open FotoMagico…you don’t have to be a Rocket scientist or a famous Chef to do some great cooking in FotoMagico as I explained in my previous post.
Everything is connected… great integration with the Mac…& yes it runs well on Snow Leopard too (I discovered no glitches in FotoMagico 3.0.8 Pro)
Open your Media Browser in FM and select Photos, you have all your iPhoto and Aperture Libraries right here. Of course you have also access the same way to your iTunes Libraries, GarageBand and Videos, yes videos… with FotoMagico 3 Pro you can also include your film clips and mix them up with your still images.
Now you select the images you like and drag them on the time line, move them around the way you see fit, add pan or zoom to each or all, set the timing and pick your transitions.
It is a good Idea to add some black frames at the start and finish like I have done to include some text/information; again FM makes this very easy. Text can also be applied to run over the images, options for different Fonts, sizes and colors are all there, plus so much more.

Once you happy with the flow of your images open the Media Browser again and pick your Music, select the track you like and drag it on the audio time line. It is a good Idea to determine before you start the approx lengths of your show. You can also adjust the soundtrack by moving it into the right position
Options for voice over and additional audio tracks are available, but we keep it simple today…I created the basic Journey Through Colors & Sound slideshow in about an hour of course not including the editing in Aperture 2 and mixing the audio in GarageBand.

One last check in the Preview before you share your show via YouTube or all the other options including a HD presentation direct from your Laptop.
If you export direct to YouTube like in my case, make sure you have an account or create one before, the rest is fully automatic but could take some time depending on the lengths of your show and of course your connection speed.
We finished our cooking for today now lets serve a good meal to our friends or clients…believe me, FotoMagico 3 Pro made cooking very easy & tasty…Enjoy your meal.

GD

Thanks to Incredible India and Shroff International Travel

© Gunther Deichmann - always on time for sunset or sunrise,
Queensland Australia

Our first App is Phases a beautifully crafted little app that shows you all kinds of useful information about the moon—and a little bit about the sun.

24 hour time zone, Location GPS, Time zone, Northern and Southern Hemisphere etc.
Moonrise and Moonset, Sunrise and Sunset & a lot more.

But the best part about Phases is a Calendar with the Moon Phase for planning your trip month ahead or check on the tides if you’re an Underwater Photographer or Diver.
In other words you can plan your trip in such a way that you can be certain that you will be on a specific location in time for this magic Moonrise with your girlfriend, Camera or just waiting for the Werewolf…check out the website for a full explanation and info at:
http://bjango.com/apps/phases/

_________________________________________

Not a NightOwl? Then Sun n Moon is the way to go, it gives you sunset and sunrise on location and some info on the Moon but hasn’t the cool Moon Phase Calendar like Phases.
Sun n Moon is more on sunset and sunrise, but it is also a very useful and a good application.
Sun n Moon accurately calculates data for:
Key Features
• Sunrise and sunset times (no network connection required)
• Moonrise and moonset times
• Specify location by 3 methods:
http://www.catalyst4.com/sun_n_moon/Sun_n_Moon.html

_________________________________________

Now we are done for today’s romantic setups under the Moon or at Sunset,
its time for some measurements and two more Apps.

The one which really stands out is fairly new and called Dimensions from pocketDEMO fantastic and super cool…I could describe this one for ever but instead have posted the LINK so you can check it out, I have tested it and fell in love with it, a must for US$ 1.99 some useful devices for Photography and many other uses in this amazing iPhone application toolbox. You can even check Thunder storm (distance) size up your shoes and dress, measure your room or the distance to the next dive site using your iPhone Camera (now that is so cool) or check the thickness of your wetsuit plus so much more. It has also some of the best tutorials for an aplication I have seen on the iPhone. This one you have to check out!
http://www.petitemallette.com/

_________________________________________

Don't know your connection speed? Speedtest.net its there to help, a simple but accurate tool to test your connection speed. This free application very useful if you're in a different location and don't know the speed...should I start uploading or downloading now or should I wait for a better connection. It works both on Wi-fi and on Edge.
Excerpts from their website and link below for more info:
Speedtest.net using a massive global infrastructure to minimize the impact of Internet congestion and latency. With millions of tests performed every month across hundreds of servers, Speedtest.net is the ultimate resource for bandwidth testing and related information. Visit it on your computer today to find out why.
http://www.apptism.com/apps/speedtest-net-speed-test

That’s it for today, with these Apps you can easily measure your Costumes for Halloween (you better believe it Dimension does it too) and check if you have the full Moon to watch the Werewolves running around. And now I am going to do a speedtest on my iPhone to check if I should upload this Blog now.
GD

Trash: Deleted file by mistake, red square

Put Back

A seldom mentioned and a new edition amongst others in Snow Leopard is the Put Back option from the Trash back to its original location.
Say for example you done your cleanup and deleted hundreds of documents, all of them in the Trash, just to make sure you open the Trash and check for a last time before you empty it, just in case, we don’t want to delete anything we might need or we dumped by mistake.
In Snow Leopard you open the Trash located at the Dock, ones the folder is open check your files and the ones you like to keep or have thrown out by mistake you just highlight those, then you go to File scroll down and you see Put Back click on it and your files go back where they came from in the first place.
With this cool and simple addition in Snow Leopard check your Trash before you finally empty it, this is very nice in particular if you have forgotten where the files originated.


I just love Quick Look!

For those new to Leopard and now Snow Leopard: Quick Look is a super cool feature but did you know once you clicked on it, (you can use the right mouse button to get to it or go to File) it not only shows you the document but you can do a lot more without open the actually software, Acrobat Reader in this case since I used a pdf file.

Try this…click say on a pdf file with multiple pages on the MacBook Pro you use the scroll pad and enlarge it or click full screen,
ok nothing new…but it is to big, you like to see a few more pages then just hit – (minus button on the keyboard) and it gets smaller every time you hit it to the size you comfortable with, nice if you use another keyboard.

Expose or show all Windows:

Another cool addition on all new Mac’s is the Expose button also called Show all Windows, this one is located on your keyboard (F3) have a go at it open multiple windows and click on F3 real nice and so convenient. Not like before, on Snow Leopard the arrangement is very nice now.

Just one more:

How often it happen you tried to eject a flash drive or your external drive and could not do that, can't eject drive file is in use or something like that. It is funny, I encountered this before, but now I am waiting for it so I can check it out. Anyway, if this occurs Snow Leopard will let you know where the problem is, it was frustrating before not knowing what was going on.
GD

A great help for the Digital workflow...BurnToDisc



© Gunther Deichmann - Soft drink Bottles are re-used for Motorbike
Gasoline along the Road just outside of Siem Reap, Cambodia 2009

Before we go into all this technical stuff (not so technical anyway...) I like to mention a nice feedback from Richard Cawthra who was part of our recent Photo Workshop in Cambodia; read what he had to say and how the Workshop has helped him.

LINK (testimonials on GD Photo Workshops)

And for those who have missed it from one of my earlier Blogs I like to re-introduce a very cool Aperture 2 plug in BurnToDisc 2 by Blue Room Software, one of the most useful plug-ins for Aperture 2., for me that is.

I tested it also on Snow Leopard recently and it's working just fine, I encountered no glitches or problems. I been using BurnToDisc for a long time and can highly recommended this plug in for Aperture 2.1.4 just fantastic when you're on the road or your Agencies screaming for images!

The Scenario:
My Agency requested some Photos from my recent trip to Cambodia in high resolution on CD or DVD.
Now here comes the easy part…BurnToDisc is part of my workflow after the shoot, the only thing I had to do select the Images I needed for my agency (the selected and adjusted versions).
I had already created a Smart folder with a selection of Photos, now I narrowed it down even further and selected the ones which had been requested, selecting them one by one by holding down the Apple (Command key), after my selection I open BurnToDisc.
Go to File and click on Export, on the fold down menu you see Burn Master to Disc or Burn Version to Disc.
The rest is easy just follow the instructions and you have your Disc burned in no time with the selected..

Screenshot of BurnToDisc Plug in for Aperture 2.1.4 tested on Snow Leopard

Again, no need to open another software this is direct from within Aperture 2, BurnToDisc has many different options to choose from, even burning multiple Discs, it will show you also how much space you have or is available on your Disc once you have selected your images and open the plug-in.

The nice part is when burning versions to a Disc you can chose within the program which file format you would like to use, in my case I needed them in tiff at 8 bits.
You have the same choice, like with all the other export options within Aperture and that is very cool.
Of course you can also use BurnToDisc for all your Master Images, a perfect way of storing your Raw files on a CD/DVD.
GD

Excerpts from the Blue Room Software Website below:
Disc names are automatically generated from user-defined elements such as disc number, image number, burn date and project name.
BurnToDisc operates with Aperture 1.5, it will also take advantage of the more streamlined background export functionality of Aperture 2.0 and later.

* Images can be exported in multiple formats in the same export session
* Images can be scaled to multiple sizes in the same export session
* Image file names can be taken from the Aperture Library, or augmented from export session metadata
* The placement of images on disc can be in any user-defined folder hierarchy
* Folder names can be static or constructed from metadata
* To allow for varying workflow scenarios, any number of named export configurations can be saved, and then later recalled for use

Minimum System Requirements:
* MacOS X 10.4 Tiger or later
* PowerPC G4, G5 or Intel Macintosh
* Aperture 1.5 or later

Recommended System:
* MacOS X 10.5 Leopard
* Aperture 2.0 or later

BurnToDisc 2 is available for purchase for $49.95 (USD). Existing BurnToDisc 1.x customers can upgrade to version 2.0 for only $19.98.
For more info go to: http://prmac.com/release-id-4604.htm

Composite Image: © Gunther Deichmann - Speed and much more efficient...
running Aperture 2.1.4 on Snow Leopard...a cool New Cat!

1. Opening Aperture, much faster now with Snow Leopard

2. Going to full screen mode, no more delay, it is instantly

3.Selecting multiple images in editing mode and then going to full screen, very fast now.

4. Retouch Tools & Spot Patch Tools have improved by 100% almost no more delay when retouching using clone or repair tools, this is a very big improvement.

5. Opening from within Aperture an External editor like Photoshop CS3 is super fast now

6. Opening Mail from within Aperture also super fast improvement by at least X2

7. I exported some 28 high res Raw images in one go as Versions to full jpg size, wow, that went real fast, again a huge improvement.

8. I also experienced the same during import using a fire wire 800 Card reader, nice speed increase.

9.There had been some delays before on some commands in particular the Cloning and Repair but that has disappeared now.

10. I tried also the slide show with some 50 plus Raw images, almost no delay very cool.

11. Edit with: Dodge & Burn, very fast opening with the use of the Tools, super fast on saving and closing.

12. Hitting the Z key (zoom) wow again, it is instant; the bit sluggish Navigation before is now very smooth, the same applies for the Loupe much faster and so much more responsive on all settings.

Aperture 2.1.4 performs very impressive on Snow Leopard, a significant speed increase and overall smooth performance. I think Aperture was ahead of its time and was just waiting for the New Cat…. Snow Leopard is made for Aperture 2.1.4 the perfect combination. Not to mention the increase of disk space after installation of the S.L.very cool. (see my comments from my previous Blog Post)

Run like you never run before… Aperture 2.1.4 is doing just that; everything is just so much more liquid and responsive.
I only used Raw and very large Tiff files, really pushing it, editing has picked up another 100%.
So, if you’re using Aperture 2.1.4 go ahead and install Snow Leopard, find out why I love Aperture even more now, feel and experience the difference.
GD

Please note the above information is based on my personal test only, and I can’t be held liable if you experience different results or performances.

© Gunther Deichmann - Jumping with Joy...
Snow Leopard is available at Power Mac Center

1. Aperture 2.1.4 works fast...a lot faster then before and everything else is working cool, no problems so far...smooth as silk. Aperture 2.1.4 was released a few hours after the availability of Snow Leopard last Friday.
For those who have not upgraded via the software update I recommend to do this prior installing Snow Leopard.


2. I learned the hard way on Rapid Weaver, but not a big issue, for those who use RW make sure you install Rapid Weaver 4.3 prior installing Snow Leopard you can get the upgrade for free if you have a licensed copy, just click the LINK below.
Once installed you should be up and running, I tried it before but no luck, I restarted my MacBook Pro and installed the upgrade. Well, lets see if this Blog is coming out OK., if not you can't read my assessment, so I am crossing my fingers now, but so far so good.
(RapidWeaver 4.3 Release Candidate 1 is now available!)
Download the file and install, don't worry if you cant find your license number, like with everything on the Mac it is straight forward.

3. A Quick spin with FotoMagico 3.05 so far no issues, all seems to be working OK. but again make sure you have the latest update.

4. Awesome... the New Quick Time even if you don't have the Pro Version super slick, I just love it, Video editing has just become a lot easier...5 stars from me.

5. I have picked up some 28Gigs of Hard drive space, nice if you dealing with large images and you forgot your external drive when on the Road...super cool.

6. It goes without saying Safari is humming very fast and nice, even Firefox is running a lot faster now, not to mention Mail and all those other cool things under the Hood.

7. Installation was a breeze and I encountered no problems at all, this is a new Super Cat with a lot more under the hood, more info in due time...have to run a few more laps.

8. Then there is, which I like a lot Restore from the Rubbish "Put Back" it is called, good thinking...

9. A text auto flow, I think that came from Aperture, ha, ha, for Mail and Text edit.

10. Last but not least for today, you have a great "New machine" for US$ 29.95

As you all know I am leaving for Cambodia shortly and put the Snow Leopard through its paces on location. Was I worried to install Snow Leopard prior my departure? Not at all. However, please do a thorough check on the compatibility of other 3rd party software you might have installed, updates for many becoming available daily now.

BTW...Time Machine is working fine too. Even the Spellcheck and a few other things I have noticed are much more refined and easy to use. Maybe my imagination, but I dont think so!

Don't panic if opening of your software takes bit of time, this is only for the first time around, Snow Leopard has to update all your existing files like Mail, Aperture etc.,etc. but after that you fly & there is so much more!
GD

Geiki Gorge is an ancient reef...
with amazing colors and reflections

Geiki Gorge; this is part two (2) of places in Australia that seldom get a mention in Books or Magazines but should be on any Photographers itinerary when visiting Australia…of course that is if you have the time.
In my last Blog post I described the magic of Rainbow Valley in the Northern Territory 100 km south of Alice Springs and today we travel right across to the Kimberley’s in northwestern Australia.

© Gunther Deichmann - Geiki Gorge in the Kimberley’s northwestern Australia.

View more images from Australia at my Archives/Galleries...type in your
Keywords and you find images from over 25 Countries in my PhotoShelter archive.
There are currently some 6000 selected images in the Archive. Use this link and fill
out the search box.

But now lets travel back in time and visit Geiki Gorge, an ancient reef formed during the Devonian period, comparing modern reefs like the Great Barrier Reef to those in prehistoric times.

Geikie Gorge National Park is the most easily accessible national park in the Kimberley.
It's only 20 km outside the small Kimberley town Fitzroy Crossing, and you don't even have to leave the bitumen to get to the gorge. (It's a 280 km drive from Derby and 390 km from Broome.)
The mighty Fitzroy River has carved a 30 meter deep gorge into the remains of the ancient limestone barrier reef that existed here in the Devonian period.
When the Fitzroy is in full flood during the wet season it covers the whole national park. Those floods rise over 16 metres up the gorge walls and the continuous rise and fall of the water has left the bottom of the walls bleached white, an intriguing sight which makes Geikie Gorge very popular with photographers.

Geiki Gorge is an ancient reef but unlike modern reefs, which are built by corals, algae and a group of now extinct lime-secreting organisms built the bulk of this reef.

© Gunther Deichmann - Aerial View of The Great Barrier Reef north Queensland on
the East Coast of Australia, a “modern reef” in Geology terms compare to Geiki Gorge.


© Gunther Deichmann - our reefs today, above image photographed in the Philippines

Ranging from atolls of a few hectares to hundreds of square kilometers, the reef platforms grew close to sea level, rising 200 meters or more above the sea floor.
As the ocean floor slowly subsided over the 50 million years of the Devonian period, the reef-building organisms were able to keep pace, building up and up until, in places, the reef became more than two kilometers thick.

The limestone ranges, formed from the ancient barrier reef, wind across the country between 50 and 100 meters above the surrounding plains, in much the same way that the reef would have reared above the Devonian sea floor. From the air, it's easy to imagine that the sea has just withdrawn, leaving the reefs uncovered.
Here, layers of fossils and the limestone strata of an ancient reef are exposed in cross section, showing glimpses of life in the Devonian period before reptiles or mammals evolved.
GD

Travel Photography Tip...Australia

Part one of two places in Australia that seldom get a mention in Books or Magazines but should be on any Photographers itinerary when visiting Australia…of course that is if you have the time. Both places are far a part; one is about 100 km from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and the other one (part two, on my next blog post) is in North Western Australia.

We all know Ayers Rock, the Opera House, Sydney Harbor Bridge and of course the Great Barrier Reef but the Outback of Australia has so much more to offer.
Today I like to introduce you to Rainbow Valley, one of the most amazing places I have photographed a “short distance” (100KM) south of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Central Australia.

© Gunther Deichmann - Rainbow Valley south of Alice Springs in the
Northern Territory, Central Australia Minolta X700 Kodachrome 25

The main features of the Rainbow Valley area are the scenic sandstone bluffs and cliffs. These free standing cliffs form part of the James Range (Google Map) and are particularly attractive in the early morning and late afternoon when the rainbow-like rock bands are highlighted.
The colored rock bands in the sandstone cliffs were caused by water. In earlier wetter times, the red iron of the sandstone layers was dissolved and drawn to the surface during the Dry Season. The red minerals formed a dark iron surface layer with the leached white layers below.
The clay pan in front of this rock face exhibits some nice cracked soil, years ago I used this cracked soil and photographed a Kodachrome packaging for and Ad.
But when the weather is on your side and it starts to rain, a rare occasion in this part of Australia the clay pan fills up with water producing some spectacular natural reflections.

© Gunther Deichmann - A rare photo, Rainbow over Rainbow Valley south of
Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Central Australia
Minolta X700 Kodachrome 25

Getting a Rainbow over Rainbow Valley is another plus, I guess you just have to be there at the right time and of course a little luck helps. I always kept an eye on the weather during my stay in Alice Springs, as soon I saw some clouds building up I took the chance to take the 100KM drive to Rainbow Valley, not always lucky but on two occasion I managed to get a Rainbow. Watching the weather is an important element in Landscape and travel Photography. (Alice Springs Google Map)
The Image above I believe was the very first Photo of Rainbow Valley with a perfect Rainbow.

© Gunther Deichmann - the Clay pan in front of Rainbow Valley filled up
with water during a rare rain storm, south of Alice Springs in the Northern
Territory, Central Australia, Minolta X700 20 mm lens, Kodachrome 25,
20 min.after sunset at f: 5.6, 4 sec. exposure


© Gunther Deichmann - the Clay pan in front of Rainbow Valley filled up
with water during a rare rain storm, the perfect natural reflection, south of
Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Central Australia, Minolta X700
20 mm lens, Kodachrome 25, 20 min.after sunset at f: 5.6, 8 sec. exposure

The best time to visit this remarkable place is in the late afternoon; you might not catch a Rainbow, but the colors during and after sunset are just out of this world.
More Photos from Australia @ my PhotoShelter Galleries/Archives

For me it has and always will be one of my favorite places in Australia, a perfect spot to spend the afternoon watching the color change right in front of my eyes.
Access is for four-wheel drive vehicles only, due to sandy nature of the track, it is not rare to see Kangaroos, Dingo’s or the largest Australian monitor lizard, the Perentie crossing your path.
GD

© Gunther Deichmann - “liquid colors” on the Tonle Sap,
Siem Reap Cambodia

Q: Could you give a brief description of yourself as a photographer?
A: Pls. check my Bio at http://www.deichmann-photo.com/home.html

Q: What are your motivations/inspirations to become a photographer?
A: Again, the answers you find in my Bio.
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/home.html

Q: In your opinion, what makes a good photograph?
A: Personal style, uniqueness, exposure, composition and originality.
One of my favorite quotes is;
"You can take a thousand images but only a few will set you on fire,"


Q: I can't buy expensive lenses. A Nikon D40 is all I have.
A: The Nikon D40 is fine, you be amazed the images you can create with just one Camera and a standard lens, think before you shoot. Understand your Camera, its limitations and work with what you have got. Remember the Camera is only a tool; the actual image you create is prior pressing the shutter.

Q: What is some of the essential camera equipment one should pack into their camera bag for travel photography workshops?
A: I am recommending a Digital SLR with one or two lenses, no need for high power telephoto lenses and a small tri-pod (equipment also depends on the type of workshop) Of course you should bring along a laptop for up-loading your images, with software installed for editing. CF cards and readers, a small memory stick, and if possible an external hard drive, plus spare Batteries & chargers for your Cameras and Laptops. If you have a small flash (strobe) then bring that along too. Small flash light, a raincoat or small Umbrella, good solid walking shoes & some insect repellant.
If you have a small compact camera bring it along, these can come in very handy at times.

Q: What are some of the items and camera equipment you have in your camera bag?
A: Basically the same what I have described above, but I always carry two cameras bodies and additional lenses, but when we go into the field I only bring one camera with one lens to show the students what can be done with little equipment.

© Gunther Deichmann - Children of Cambodia, Phnom Penh
original color image converted into B&W using the
Monochrome Mixer in Aperture 2

Q: What are your favorite photography subjects during travel?
A: It all depends entirely on the given assignment, but I usually have a Theme/Story or a subject planned out, but then you never know what is around the next corner, you have to be ready all the time and make quick decisions.
Always expect the un-expected!

Q: How does image editing applications like Apple Aperture 2, Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop factor into your photo management and editing?
A: I use the Computer just for up-loading and basic editing, however part of the learning curve is to understand the software and the workflow after the shoot, caption your images, using only minor adjustments for the RAW files.
Try and get your image right in the first place, your exposure and composition. Don’t rely on Photoshop for fixing things later.
Working with Aperture 2 on my Mac is pure pleasure, speed and integration, easy access to my Aperture Library. A great image management system, even when you use older scanned but digitized images, simple import them from any of your hard drives.

Q: You have done work for many prestigious global publications. How is it like to shoot for these renowned publications?
A: Very tough but awesome, e.g. for Stern Magazine, Germany I spend weeks to get the images on the killing of wild Horses in Australia. Another good example was my three-month assignment for Animan Magazine (Switzerland) covering the Mekong River, a tough but also very rewarding trip, the final article was published later over 24 pages.

Q: What is your advise for new and up coming travel photographers?
A: Research, research and more research, and try to make friends on your Journeys, it helps if you return one day.

I guess that is all for today, there are many more questions and answers but they have to wait until next time.
GD

Relaxing Friday afternoon with “Mojito”
& friends at Cafe Havana...

© Gunther Deichmann - Charming waitress at Cafe Havana Makati Greenbelt 3 , Philippines,
Leica D-Lux 4 ISO 400, f:2.5

A nice start for the weekend had a great time with my friend Juergen Warnke from Club Paradise in Palawan at the Cuban “Café Havana” in Greenbelt 3 in Makati. Friday afternoon… a social get together with some nice Drinks called Mojito
…
and the Leica D-Lux 4.

© Gunther Deichmann -
Mojito... at Cafe Havana Makati Greenbelt 3 , Philippines,
Leica D-Lux 4 ISO 400, f:2.5
Cuban mojito drink recipe, the authentic version enjoyed by Hemingway in Havana
______________________________________________

Aperture v. Lightroom, the never-ending saga on the Net, don’t worry I keep it simple and get straight to the point.
I am sure all Aperture 2 users waiting with great anticipation for the next upgrade…
I hope we get to see it soon.
I am not an expert on Lightroom nor I am going to be one, I am happy with Aperture 2 for all my work. I believe the most common problem lies when you work with two or three different software’s instead getting used to one, learning and understanding it properly.
Lightroom has introduced recently some updates and improved the software, however in my opinion there are quiet a few advantages in using Aperture 2.
First of all the smooth integration on a Mac, it is flawless and very smooth, plus in Aperture you can make adjustments at any stage. E.g. if you have an image selected you can pull up the adjustment-HUD right there in the Browser, Full screen in book layouts etc., no need to go back and forth.

This is very cool and feels free and more natural. From what I know and heard of LR this cant be done, LR puts way too much emphasis on the software while Aperture lets you focus on what you want to do with your image.

Check with the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3 for Aperture Training and intro Seminars.
http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php
______________________________________________

More iPhone 3G applications.
In one of my recent Blogs I recommended the GPS from MotionX, another interesting one is AudioBoo you record your voice or a conversation with friend then post it on Twitter or Facebook. Useful? For some of us maybe, check it out and play with it.
For those who use the iPhone Camera, AutoStitch is cool, thanks to my good friend Choon from Singapore who pointed this application out to me.

iPhone 3G Camera, using four images and then AutoStitch

See above an example taken without any planning during last Fridays “Mojito” sessions at Café Havana. Four images stitched together on the iPhone and posted a few seconds later on Twitter. You can even crop the image after it has been stitched.
For more info just go to the iTunes store!
GD

From the Thar Desert in India to remote places in Palawan, Philippines, the
GPS from MotionX on your iPhone is the perfect travel companion.


© Gunther Deichmann - Composite image;
find and mark your location, listening
to your music at the same time.

There are so many applications for the iPhone but this one is super cool! Slick integration allows you not only to find your way but listen to Music direct from the software via iTunes, plus so much more. Read below an article from a very happy Dive Instructor in Palawan Philippines, finding those dive sites again is a breeze now.

A few months ago I introduced my good buddy Dirk Fahrenbach from Dugong Dive Center & Club Paradise to the iPhone and recommended at the same time some cool applications including the GPS from MotionX, with Facebook and Twitter integration.
It is your Global Position System on your iPhone!
After some weeks he strolled into my place again and I ask him, hey how is the iPhone?
…oh buddy, real good and I love the GPS, better than all those expensive ones I have been using on my Boats.
GD

Read below Dirk’s comments:
I am totally amazed how great this software is, the Dugong Dive Center has 3 big dive boats and I have one GPS for each boat from well-known companies. They are complicated to use in particular for my boat Crew.
Then I brought my iPhone, Gunther gave me a crash curse on the iPhone and installed the GPS from Motion X. A few days later during a dive trip my Boat Captain and myself tried it out on my Boat the “Toshina”, we where both amazed.

© Gunther Deichmann - Coron Island Bay, Palawan Philippines

Easy to use, there is no need for studying any manuals. You can go from page to page and the connection to Google maps makes it even more enjoyable looking at the current location.
Like some music in the background? No problems you even have a page with iTunes!
Need a Photo from a waypoint? No problem either, you can find it anytime on your recorded track. (with exact time and location in your logbook)

© Gunther Deichmann - easy to find
those dive sites again.

Finding satellites is very easy and fast, plus the position, speed and signals are very accurate and well displayed, the build in compass works accurate too.
Battery consumption can be a little problem but external battery packs for the iPhone or a charger on the boat can solve those problems easy.
No need for an expensive and complicated GPS, the one from MotionX is doing just fine, the only problem is… I have 3 boats but only one iPhone…at the moment that is, ha, ha.

© Gunther Deichmann - beautiful secluded beaches in Palawan.
Natures Paradise and the last frontier in the Philippines.

Dirk Fahrenbach is the Owner and Dive Instructor from Dugong Dive Center at Club Paradise
Palawan Philippines, it is also the only place in the Philippines where you can watch/dive with Dugongs in the wild.
http://www.dugongdivecenter.com/

For all the details on this GPS go to your iTunes store or check out the website from MotionX
http://news.motionx.com/category/motionx-gps/

But that is not all stay connected all the time with MotionX GPS and share with:
Facebook: To enable Facebook posts, log in using the “Connect With Facebook” button on the share setup screen. If you have a Facebook account, enter your login information in the “Connect to Facebook” window that opens. You can logout at any time, again from the share setup page, by touching the Logout button.
Twitter: To enable Twitter posts, log in using the Login button on the share setup screen. If you have a Twitter account, enter your login information in the “Twitter Login” window that opens. You can logout at any time, again from the share setup page, by touching the Logout button.

MotionX Featured in:
Wall Street Journal, New York Times, BusinessWeek, USA Today, iPhone Blogs, Gizmodo, Engadget, Time, Newsweek

Coffee & High ISO on a rainy day...


© Gunther Deichmann - an interesting effect...
D700 with a f/2.8 180 mm lens ISO 1600

The past few days Manila is blessed again (not sure if that is a blessing) with a lot of Rain, but then we do need water and we are still in the Monsoon season. Tropical Storm "ISANG" is hanging around up north.

About an hour ago...I decided to grab a cup of Coffee and had a look at the back of our Building, that’s when I spotted the Philippines Flag in my neighbors window, ok lets try out the Nikon D700 at high ISO speed and see what I can come up with. (see the shot above)
Then I started to mess around some more with clothing hanging on a washing line in the rain…
hmmm strange, drying clothing in the rain, oh well!
Using the Nikon D700 with a f/2.8 180 mm lens (one of my favorites and perfect for the D700) I set the ISO on 1600 and for some shots on 800 ISO.

D700 with a f/2.8 180 mm lens ISO 800 (cropped image)


D700 with a f/2.8 180 mm lens ISO 1600

The shutter speed varied between a 1/50th and 1/160 of a second my Aperture was wide open at f/2.8, all straight shots and hand held. (too lazy today for putting up a Tripod)

A few minutes later I had imported the RAW files from my CF Card into Aperture 2 and made only these adjustments; Cropping, Auto level, some sharpening (which I do for all digital Images) well, believe it or not, that was it folks… no other twists, turns, pushing and pulling!

Extreme blow up from the original image, more than 200%
D700 with a f/2.8 180 mm lens ISO 1600

It is now an hour later and concluded this rainy day coffee break…the Nikon D700 performed just great at high ISO plus the color was perfect, well for me anyway.
I shoot most of my work on ISO 200 but have no problems using the Nikon D700 at a higher ISO for some serious work. (max. 1600 ISO) As you know I have tested it up to 12000 ISO (you can go to 25000) in the past, but using such a high ISO setting I can only recommend it under extreme circumstances, but it is nice to know you can do it.
GD

The colorful Sari from Rajasthan India...
a little History and its Origin.

It is very important that you do your research well in advance prior you departure to any destination, don’t relay on your travel companion or your Travel Agency. They can help but knowing it yourself can be a tremendous help in understanding the Culture, Tradition and the do’s and don’ts for any new Country you might plan to visit.

© Gunther Deichmann - Jodhpur Market, Rajasthan India, April ‘09

Did you ever wonder where the Indian Sari had its birth or origin? Interesting reading and useful information if you should travel to Incredible India. Google has made our life fairly easy these days, you can find just about anything, so do spend some time and do your research well, you will not regret it later. The images from today’s post have been taken in Jodhpur also known as the
“Blue City”

© Gunther Deichmann - Jodhpur Market, Rajasthan India, April ‘09

The word 'sari' evolved from the Prakrit word 'sattika' as mentioned in earliest Jain Buddhist literature.
The history of Indian clothing trace the sari back to the Indus Valley Civilization, which flourished during 2800-1800 BCE around the western part of the Indian Subcontinent.The earliest known depiction of the saree in the Indian subcontinent is the statue of an Indus valley priest wearing a drape.
More at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari

The Indian Saree (a.k.a. Sari, Seere, Sadi) boasts of oldest existence in the sartorial world. It is more than 5000 years old! It is mentioned in Vedas, the oldest existing (surviving) literature (3000 B.C.) Patterns of dress change throughout the world now and then but, the Sari has survived because it is the main wear of rural India. 75% of the population (now a billion as per official estimate) wear versatile sari. We can certainly call this cloth versatile because it could be worn as shorts, trousers, flowing gown-like or convenient skirt-wise--all without a single stitch!
More info at: http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/attire/saree/sari_story.htm

More Images from Rajasthan at: http://www.deichmann-photo.com/page2/page2.html
GD

“7000 images later, a Journey Through
Rajasthan, India… Aperture 2 & beyond…”

The Fine Art Prints!


Fine Art Photo Prints from Rajasthan, India at the recent
Photo Exhibit at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila during the Event
- A Taste of India -

I prepared the selected digital images in Aperture 2 using my calibrated Apple Cinema screens getting them ready for delivery on my portable hard drive. Additional adjustments where not necessary, they reproduced absolutely perfect just like the original from the screen.
Further more OneWorkshop guarantees the archival quality prints, they are certified for their fade resistance.

A big enlargement graces the wall at the PMC, Photo Exhibit at the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3, Makati, Philippines some of the images from Rajasthan will be on display from June until the end of July. During this time we have also some Seminars, Workshops & Consultancy on Aperture 2, for more details check with the Power Mac Center.
For questions and special requests, you can call 729-7087 or 88,
or email us at training@powermaccenter.com
http://www.powermaccenter.com/training.php

More Photos on display at the Power Mac Center in Greenbelt 3, if you in the area check out also the Multi Media presentation on the Apple TV set-up.

My advise:
Do not perform major color adjustments on your Laptop, instead work on a good quality & calibrated screen for you final output. You never look back or regret if you invest in a high quality Monitor or Screen they are vital for accurate color renditions and fine-tuning.
Thanks again to Ross Capilli & Rick for an excellent Job.

See below some information on the archival printmaking services:

Masterpiece Giclée
OneWorkshop,Inc. is providing the Visual Arts Community, Photographers, Museum Administrators, Gallery Owners and Art Collectors with digital archival printmaking services, using the Giclee (pronounced “zhi-clay”) Printmaking method.
Giclée Printmaking has opened up a whole new set of creative and economical opportunities for both the artist and artist photographer. We invite you to learn more about these opportunities, so we can show you how you can maximize the value of your art by making reproductions using the most cost-effective means. We use only top quality 7 & 8 color-Archival Inks on a wide selection of Archival Fine Art Papers or Canvas that you may choose from in our studios.
Giclee prints are advantageous to artists who do not find it feasible to mass produce their work, but want to reproduce their art as needed, or on-demand. Once an image is digitally archived, additional reproductions can be made with minimal effort and reasonable cost. Another tremendous advantage of giclee printing is that digital images can be reproduced to almost any size and onto various media, giving the artist the ability to customize prints for a specific client.

2241 Ground Floor La Fuerza Plaza II Don Chino Roces Ave corner Sabio St. Makati CityTel (632) 8192074 Telefax (632) 8105094

Tweet...Tweet... & Aperture 2

I had the Twitter plug-in for Aperture 2 for quiet sometime but only recently during some Twitter exchanges I thought to have a closer look at it.
The world is twitting like crazy now…some very good stuff but there is also some real rubbish out there, I guess that applies to just about everything with today’s technology.
But lets not get to hyped up about it, what is good and bad; filtering is the keyword read what you like and ignore the other stuff, at least we have a choice.
Now to the Twitter Plug-in for Aperture 2, is it useful or just a waste of time?
Easy to install and easy to use…but when and how?
For example; you traveling and get this great image a real scoop, you easily upload this image and have it on Twitter in no time direct from within your Aperture 2 Project and let the world know.
This maybe great for News Type related events, e.g. Iran right now, but you still have to have a connection no matter which way you turn and twist.

You can also use the Twitter plug-in to share images with your friends & family, keep them informed, letting them know where you are and this can be fun.
However you do need to have your original file in your Library or have access to your external Hard drive if you have stored your images as reference files otherwise you cant send them via Twitter. You can’t Export your image using the Previews, of course you can work around this, but then why use Aperture in the first place if this is the software you’re using while on the road.

In short the Twitter Plug-in could come in very handy but using it everyday I don’t think so. You can also use it to direct traffic to your Blog or website e.g. announcing New Images or a new Gallery on your PhotoShelter site etc.,
Try it out and install it, definitely fun to use and you never know when you have this scoop of a photo you like to share with the rest of the world on Twitter.
GD

Oh no, these are definitely not my legs…I just thought this image is appropriate since I am leaving in a few days, as you can see... stock images do come in very handy.
Now I am ready and excited for my next destination, India. I have checked my Nikon’s, MacBook Pro, the Lacie Hard Drives, fine-tuned Aperture 2 and went over my itinerary one more time.
I also prepared yesterday some last minute Blog post for my good friends at Fins, where I contribute stories on Aperture 2 , Environment and Underwater related issues.
Take a few minutes and check out their great new Web site at @ http://www.finsonline.com/

I try and travel as light as possible, the Cameras being the most heavy but also the most important part, no need to bring a suitcase full of gear which you’re not going to use anyway. If I rip a shirt then I just get a new one, that is the nice part when traveling in Asia, buying a new T-shirt or doing the laundry is cheap.
However I do carry a few white t-shirts, they came in very handy as a natural reflector when shooting people… the only thing you have to do, wear and wash them.
Strong and good Rubber shoes, a hat or baseball cap for sun protection plus some of those other items I have pointed out in one of my recent Blogs from the 17th of March 2009, check the Archive: Traveler’s Essentials…tips and advise prior your Departure to your next exotic destination... traveling in South East Asia
Now I am almost ready for my iPod listening to Canned Heat “On the Road again”, I stay in touch from India provided time and internet connections work out, but I can hear the sound of the Sitars already.
GD

Part of your Import Panel
Don’t leave it blank on import!
It will only take a few moments to fill out and since you’re at the location everything is still fresh in your mind.

Planning Your Import Strategy
A few days before my departure I sit down and clean my MacBook Pro of all those things which I don’t need to bring, in other words cleaning out my Libraries including the iPhoto one and store all this other stuff on my external hard drive I keep at home.
Preparing Aperture 2 prior my Departure
I know where I am going, right.
Have done all my research with the help of Google Maps and other resources, so I know my prime destinations and some specific locations.

I create a Project and name it India for this exercise since it is my next destination very soon.
Then I prepare in advance some Albums or even Smart Albums like;
Cities, People, Culture, Animals etc., plus I always create one for Generic this is for all those images that you don’t have time for or they are difficult to integrate at the time.
Since I have done my research and I know already some places where I am going to be for sure like; India, Delhi, Taj Mahal, Jodhpur etc. I add all those Keywords already; of course there will always be more to add during import everyday but this way you spend less time on your computer and more in the field shooting.
Which brings me to another point; don’t put things off, add as much information during Import as possible it is only a few extra minutes, everything is still fresh in your mind, plus you have some locals around you who could assist in the right spelling of local names etc.

Drop down menu in your Preference Panel,
set your Preview size for import.

I work in the field with two identical Lacie 360 Gig Rugged Hard Drives and import all my images as reference files, the second 360 Gig Drive is a back up for the first one lets call them A & B.
It is also a good Idea to set your Preview settings not to large, a good resolution for viewing is “Fit within 1024 X 1024”
During Import and if activated Aperture 2 creates Previews and Thumbnails at a setting you can specify in the Preference Panel under Previews. If the setting is too large, “Don’t limit or 1/2 size” you clog up your Hard drive again.

The Basics on Import
When you import from a camera or card reader, Aperture places the images in a project. If you don’t select an existing project, a new one is created automatically. As Aperture imports images, it generates a version file and an image thumbnail corresponding to each master. You can import masters directly from a camera or card reader and from your hard disk drives. When you import images, you can choose whether to have the masters stored in the Aperture library or on a hard disk outside of the library, where they can be accessed as Referenced images.
As you import images, you can have Aperture automatically name and record information about them. Aperture can assign filenames using custom naming conventions, as well as record metadata such as captions, keywords, dates, copyright and credit information, and IPTC information. You can even set Aperture to stack related images together, keeping bracketed shots or a series of shots taken in quick succession in groups that you can easily select and work with.
Happy Travel...
GD
http://www.gdphotoworkshop.com/home.html

Above: Flat Fire Wire cables and two 360 Gig Rugged Hard Drives from LACIE... The travel solution!
I am sure some of you get annoyed just like me with those old and stiff Fire wire Cables for your Card Reader or connecting your Computer to your external Hard Drives, this is especially true when on the road.
Now LACIE has come up with a cool solution with their Flat Fire Wire 400 and 800 cables, perfect for traveling daisy chaining your external Hard Drives and connecting your CF Card Readers all at once to your Mac.
Available in the following configurations:
400 to 400 Fire Wire
800 to 800 Fire Wire
800 to 400 Fire Wire
The package even includes enough Labels (already written and prepared) for all your connections marking each cable for its particular purpose.

No more stiff and annoying cables, welcome travel companions with the 360 or 500 Gig LACIE Rugged Hard Drives, the perfect back up solution when on the road.
Available locally at the Power Mac Center in the Philippines, they also stock the 360 and 500 Gig LACIE Rugged Hard Drives.
GD

Created with iWork and Pages ‘09

What to have with you.
Of course keep a pen handy for immigration forms etc. you be amazed how many people have ask me and borrowed my Pen, so I always carry two now.
It is also a good Idea to carry a Photo Copy of your Passport and some extra pass port Photos with you.
Get hold of a number of small bills of local currency for tipping purposes, (change some US$ at the airport upon arrival into small bills, it is a lot safer and you have some small change for your Taxi or Tri-Cycle ride) very important in Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar/Burma, Laos and Vietnam (a stack of US$ 1.00 notes are fine) Cambodia is famous for the “One Dollar” everything is “One Dollar.”
Make sure you bring enough cash with you in larger dominations (not so bulky), some places don’t take Credit Cards and you will need cash.
Mosquito repellent. Any long lasting brand either DEET or citronella based will do fine.
Antiseptic cream (available over the counter at any pharmacy) and/ or iodine for cuts and scrapes.
Store- a small first aid kit.
Loperamide (Imodium). This will give relief from diarrhea but doesn’t treat the underlying infection so use it only if you can’t access a toilet and get help immediately if there’s any blood or anything unusual in the movement or you have a fever. Stay hydrated drink a lot of water but make sure it is from a secure source or use bottled.
Sun screen if you’re planning to be outdoors for any length of time. Don’t forget to apply to your ears and bald spot if you have one (or wear a cap)
A good supply of Multi Vitamins like Berocca or other brands are also good to have on-board.
Sun glasses will help protect against cataracts in the long term, Baby wipes (“wet ones”).
And never leave home without a small roll of Toilet paper, you never know when it “hits you.”
Universal plug adapter for your Laptop, iPod, iPhone etc, I even carry a small extension cord with a 3-plug outlet.
Spare comb.
It’s amazing that even 5 star hotels almost never put one of these in the amenity kit, a small sewing kit comes in handy also.

These are only the very basics and of course you need to decide what else you like to bring along, for our Photographer friends I highly recommend a small Umbrella, some plastic bags, Raincoat, a small flashlight and spare batteries.
The good old Swiss Army Knife is also a great companion, but make sure you DON’T carry that one in your hand carry, they will take it off you, store it in your check in luggage.
Special thanks to Mik Harris from Pharsight for some of the Pharmaceutical advise.
GD
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/
Note: Gunther Deichmann is not responsible for the content of other external websites.
All information and Views provided is based on his own experience and may not apply or be suitable for other users. These tips and information are solely based on his personal experiences and he can’t be held liable if any problems should arise.

Screenshot - left hand side red rectangle shows the Smart Album click on the very small magnifying Glass far right to activate the Smart Settings pop up window for all your ratings, upper red rectangle 5 Star ratings.

You might ask how come I don’t start at 1 and work my way up? Again this is entirely up to you, but for me it is the first impression of any image that counts, something that turns me on from the first time I see it, besides everything is still fresh in my mind. Of course you can always create other smart Albums later and have your 4,3,2,1 and rejected images shown.
Going through thousands of images has never been easier, thanks to Aperture, hence the reason why I seldom use Photoshop these days, definitely NOT for editing.
What takes literally minutes in Aperture 2 can take days in Photoshop even if you use Bridge.
An Overview of the Aperture Rating System
After finishing a shoot, photographers typically review their images and determine which ones are worth working with. While a “yes or no” judgment of an image can work for a small selection of photos, with a larger collection of similar images that show small variations, photographers need an organized method of noting which images are superior shots, which deserve further review, and which are poor quality or rejects.
A simple and effective rating system can help photographers quickly narrow the focus of the selection process.
Rating is a simple process with powerful results. If you can easily identify 100 out of 500 images that aren’t going to work, removing these images reduces your workload by 20 percent. Rating and thereby reducing your workload can save you a considerable amount of time.
Aperture provides a system for rating images from Select to Reject. The easily
decipherable image ratings appear on the images themselves as overlays. Positive ratings appear as stars; you can rate images from one to five stars, with five being the highest, or Select, rating. A negative, or Reject, rating appears as an X.
The process of rating an image can be as easy as selecting an image and clicking a rating button in the control bar to assign a rating to the image.
You can also use keyboard shortcuts to quickly assign or change ratings.
You can quickly review and rate images one after another with speed and efficiency.
You can also select and rate multiple images at once. You can review and rate images in the Viewer, Browser, and Light Table, as well as in Full Screen view. When you’ve finished rating images, Aperture allows you to sort images according to their ratings.
You can use the Query HUD to hide or show images of a certain rating. For example, after an initial rating pass, you can set the Query HUD to show only those images that
are rated one star. You can then closely inspect and further refine your selection or begin an adjustments pass. Aperture is preset to hide images that are rated Reject, so you may need to change the Query HUD settings to see rejected images.

Rating Images
Aperture provides a set of seven possible image ratings:
Five stars, or Select
Four stars
Three stars
Two stars
One star
Unrated, or neutral
Reject
Rejected images appear with a white X overlay. Positive ratings appear with white star overlays. If no overlays are displayed on the image, the image is considered neutral or is not rated. You can rate a single image or apply a rating to several images at once.
Rating Individual Images
You can quickly rate a selected image with the rating buttons.
To rate an individual image:
1 Select an image.
2 To show the control bar, choose Window > Show Control Bar (or press D).
3 Click the rating buttons in the control bar to assign a rating.
To assign the highest rating to the image: Click the Select button.
To assign a rating of Reject: Click the Reject button.
To increase or decrease the image rating: Click the Increase Rating or Decrease
Rating button.
Note: As long as the image is selected, you can change its rating.
4 To select the next image, press the Right Arrow or Left Arrow key, or click the Previous
Image or Next Image button in the control bar.
You can also apply a rating to several images at once.
To apply the same rating to multiple images at once:
1 Select the images you want to rate.
2 Click a rating button, or press the keyboard shortcut for a rating.

For those of you who are using Aperture 2 already check out the PDF manual (part of the Aperture Software) for more options and selecting multi images for ratings.
GD
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

Red Square lower right corner, activating and de-activating
the Quick Preview Mode if this button is activated it changes color
to Yellow.

Use Quick Preview Mode for; rotating Images during import, Lift and Stamp your Metadata, Star Ratings, Keywords etc. But to provide accurate feedback, image- processing function requires a view of the original pixel data, which you don’t get with Quick Preview. This is the reason why a lot of the adjustments tools are not available to you when Quick Preview is activated.
Experiment with the Quick Preview button, find out how it improves your speed in editing thousands of images without time delay and if you wonder why you cant make certain adjustments then just click and deactivate the Quick Preview button. As for me, one of the best new additions in Aperture 2, much faster editing and not only during import.
GD
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

http://www.prosoftengineering.com/products/data_rescue.php

I have been using Data Rescue X for a long time and recently upgraded to the newer version Data Rescue II. (Version 1.2.1)
It is not an issue how often and when I use it, I hope never just the peace of mind having it around is worth the price.
I did recover some images for a friend who had deleted all his images from his CF Card plus I fixed an old external hard drive.

Read below some excerpts from the DATA RESCUE II website:
Do you have a corrupt hard drive or one that no longer mounts? Are other tools failing to even recognize your bad drive? Do you need to recover files that have been deleted? Data Rescue II is the best digital data recovery software on the market for recovering files from a problem hard drive or that have been previously deleted. Data Rescue II works when other tools fail. Data Rescue II is also completely safe to use since it does not attempt any risky repairs to the drive it's scanning. This is the safest, most powerful software to recover your hard drive. Data Rescue II is the same software used by many data recovery services!
Will Data Rescue II recover pictures from my digital camera media cards?
Yes, Data Rescue II will recover pictures, movies and music from Mac and PC drives, iPods®, cameras and any type of digital media card.

Stay tuned, in the next few days I post an article on: Health and Travel related matters, which is the right medication to bring along besides your Aspirin.
Experts advise from a specialist working in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
GD
Note: Gunther Deichmann is not responsible for the content of other external websites.
All information and Views provided is based on his own experience and may not apply or be suitable for other users. These tips and information are solely based on his personal experiences and he can’t be held liable if any problems should arise.
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

Triple “T” - Tips, Tricks and Techniques.

In the first week of March 2009 we saw a lot of new Software and updates; Pixelmator from my previous blog, BurnTo Disc (my Blog today), Apple announced a few days ago a new Digital RAW Compatibility Update and yesterday we received an iLife Support update, iPhoto, Airport Client and Airport Utility.
I beginning to wonder when the next Aperture 2 update will surface, at present we are on 2.1.2
But now to my topic of today:
The Commercial or Resort shoot is over, you've edited your images and updated your vaults or external drives, but how do you send copies to your client, or share them with your friends?
Email or uploading them on your FTP, iDisk or Web Gallery are one of many options from within Aperture 2.
You could also export your Version or Masters on to your Desk top, then use Toast or your Burn folder to burn CD’s or DVD’s but that is more complicated, why not go direct to BurnToDisc within Aperture 2.

Here is the scenario; the client needs to have some shots right there and then before you leave your Tropical Paradise. Just before you leave for the airport you present him with a CD or DVD of the selected images from the shoot and you both have a big smile on your face.
Believe me, this happen to me on many occasions and I am sure it will happen again, hence the reason that I always carry some DVD’s or CD’s with me.

BurnToDisc is an Aperture Plug-In that simplifies the process of exporting your images and burning them to DVDs and CDs for sharing, archiving or off-site storage.
Disc names are automatically generated from user-defined elements such as disc number, image number, export date and project name.

For each exported image, you can specify multiple image sizes, multiple image formats and on-disc folder placement for the images.
The cool part is that the Export options which you’re so familiar with in Aperture 2 are also at your fingertips when using BurnToDisc …in other words, a very simple process.
To allow for varying workflow scenarios, any number of named export configurations can be saved, and then later recalled for use. At a price tag of US$ 49.95 it is not the cheapest plug-in but for sure one of the better and more useful ones.

Below are some excerpts from the BurnToDisc PDF Manuel:
(only a few) For more details go to:
http://www.blueroomsoftware.com/BurnToDisc/
ApertureBurnToDisc.html


Introduction
BurnToDisc is an Aperture Plug-In that simplifies the task of exporting your images and burning them to recordable media, such as CDs and DVDs. While the default installation will have you burning discs in just a few clicks, complex layouts of differing image formats, sizes and folder hierarchies are also fully supported.
Export Sessions
When you select a collection of images from within Aperture and invoke BurnToDisc via the Burn Masters To Disc... or Burn Versions To Disc... menu item, a new Export Session is initiated. Export Sessions are responsible for converting and resizing images, creating the appropriate on-disc folder hierarchies, generating disc and images names, and burning discs.
The configuration of an Export Session takes place in the Export Setup Panel:
Export Configuration Template Examples
Below are some example use cases that showcase the flexibility and power of Export
Configuration Templates:
• Organized By Project: The user wants to archive master images, placing
them into folders with names that correspond to the Aperture Project with
which they are associated.
• Thumbnails: A photographer is required to submit to his client a disc with
both high-resolution TIFFs and 300 x 300 pixel JPEGs of each image. The
large images must be in a folder called images, while the small images
must be in a folder called thumbs.
• One Of Everything: The user wants a JPEG, TIFF and PNG for each
exported image, and place them in folders named jpeg, tiff and png,
respectively.
Plus a lot more…
GD

Since you never seen this window before…panic strikes… oh my what is wrong?
This happen to me a few times, pushing Aperture to the limit…but don’t worry it is an easy fix.

It’s Ok… Close down Aperture, then hold down the Option and Apple Key while restarting Aperture again, now this little window appears asking you either to Rebuild or run a Consistency Check.
I have run both options and not only if I got the warning but also when I noticed that Aperture was running sluggish or behaving a bit erratic.

This works well if you have a lot of projects and images, however you have to have a bit of patience running the Rebuilding or Consistency Check as this could take some time, it all depends on the size of your Library.
Don’t Panic again if after the Consistency Check some of your Projects and files have disappeared, no worries just repeat the step and this time run Rebuild and you find all your Projects are there.
If you’re not comfortable activating the Rebuild or Consistency Check window then just wait until the window appears one day, but then you have almost no choice but to go through this exercise keeping Aperture 2 running nice smoothly.
But isn’t nice that Aperture 2 is given you a warning sign, just like the oil indicator for your Car engine.

Now a final word of advise, make sure you made a back up of all your Images on an external drive, regardless how good your Mac or how big your drive is and how well Aperture 2 performs, back up is rule number one… disaster can strike anytime.

Note: I work exclusively with reference files and keep all my Projects on external drives as well, backing up everything in the field with two identical hard drives. Back home I then transfer all my files and Projects to my Mac Pro storing everything again on my Raid system for back ups, only then I delete the Images on my portable Hard drives.
GD
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/blog.html

Put your Mouse Cursor on the Toolbar hold down the control key (ctr) and click on the Toolbar a small dropdown menu appears, now select Customize Toolbar and a large window appears with all your tools.
Select which Icons you like to be part of your everyday workflow and drag those into the Toolbar customizing everything for your personal preference. You can always go back to the default toolbar later, just drag it back.
You can choose also from; Icons only – Icons with text – text only. I recommend for newcomers to Aperture 2 to select Icons with text, easy to remember in the beginning and once you get up to speed with Aperture 2 you can use the ones only with the Icon or text giving you more space in your Toolbar.
GD
http://www.deichmann-photo.com/

Correcting a washed out & over-exposed image
using the Aperture 2 adjustments...


© Gunther Deichmann - Raw and not corrected image using the Nikon D700
for the Tutorials and how to apply correction on an overexposed Image please
click on the image above or use this LINK.
You might have to refresh your Browser to view the new Tutorial.

It is not easy sometimes as a Pro to make things go wrong on purpose especially when using the new Nikon D700.
A few weeks ago I ask my son Brandon to sit on the Stairs outside our apartment with this beautiful light streaming through the window.
I thought, hey this is a good exercise for bringing back the highlights in Aperture 2, so I shot some correct exposed images but also on purpose overexposed some for today’s session on how to bring back the highlights using Aperture 2.
Highlight Hot & Cold Areas came in very handy in this exercise, (you find this in theView panel ) for the applied adjustment details go to the GD Photo Tutorial Panel upper left hand side or click this LINK. There you can compare the images in large side by side.
After all my corrections I converted the image also into a nice Black and White using the Green Filter this time.
Please remember the images can look different on other screens this is only a guide for the exercise.
Before we go into all the details I like to give some praise to the Nikon D700, excellent performance in any light condition, yes I have done some test shots already at 6400 ISO and that just blew me away, but more on that later.

Original image shot in RAW, see below the order of adjustments in Aperture 2.
Sharpening: 0.92
Edges: 0.82
Exposure: -1.63
Recovery: 1.49
Black Point 0.08
Shadows: 5.9
Changing from Color to B&W using the Monochrome Mixer and added the Green Filter
GD

Tags: Triple "T" tips, tricks and techniques, Tutorials, Aperture 2 Training