Scott Kelby gives ronmartblog.com readers VIP treatment at his Shoot Like A Pro show in Seattle

Scott Kelby & Ron Martinsen
Photo by Mike Wiebe

A small group of ronmartblog.com VIP’s were thrilled to get to have some
private time with Scott and VIP seating at the Shoot Like A Pro show in Seattle

Scott Kelby put on a fantastic presentation at the Shoot Like A Pro show in Seattle. It was both informative and entertaining to myself and all those who attended. It was great to see Scott in action and hear some really great practical advice during the show.

If you have the chance to attend one of his shows I would HIGHLY recommend it! While I wouldn’t agree with everything he had to say because he’s trying to generalize to a large audience, I found most of the advice to be very sound. I did think that the class and handout materials were excellent. It was also great to better learn how much Scott really is a “real” photographer and not just another web personality or book author.

Escaping Disaster

As luck would have it, one of my former workshop students – Mike Wiebe – decided to join us for a post conference chat which caused him to miss the I-5 disaster on the bridge he would have driven on to go home. I just crossed that bridge around 12:30 AM on Thursday myself so we are both very happy to have avoided that disaster!

Where to order

Click here to learn more! If you can’t attend then consider a subscription to Kelby Training to watch some of Scott’s videos on some of the subjects covered during the class. NAPP also offers great articles each month as well as many other great benefits.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• NAPP Review
• Kelby Training Review
• The Digital Photography Book - Volume 1
• The Digital Photography Book - Volume 2
• The Digital Photography Book - Volume 3
• The Digital Photography Book - Volume 4
• The Photoshop Channels Book
• The Adobe Photoshop CS6 Book for Digital Photographers
• Scott Kelby's 7 Point System
• Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers using Photoshop
• Lightroom 3 for Digital Photographers – 4 is just as a good and covered in my Lightroom review
• Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It
• What Photoshop books should I read?
• Which books should I read?

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

Topaz Clarity only $29.95! – Topaz Labs Newest Plug-in!–Coupon Code Corrected

My friends at Topaz Labs have released a new plug-in called Clarity which is designed to give your flat images more punch! Here’s more info in their own words:

Topaz Clarity is the ultimate tool to create compelling and powerful images by intelligently enhancing contrast and clarity with absolutely no artifacts or halos.  With just a few clicks you can easily manipulate your micro, mid-tone and overall contrast, trans- forming your image from ordinary to extraordinary, while maintaining the natural feeling and tonality you are after.   Using a proprietary technology, Topaz Clarity effectively improves local contrast without halos or noise, giving you remarkable results with minimal effort.

Here are some of the unique features introduced in Topaz Clarity:

1. Selective Contrast Control. With Clarity, we have developed a cutting-edge process of selecting specific contrast variations in your original image, allowing you to quickly target and then increase or decrease the contrast and clarity in that specific variation.
2. Breakthrough Halo-Free Algorithm.  Boost contrast and clarity without emphasizing transitions between light and dark areas, eliminating the common problem of halos, noise and artifacts.
3. Advanced Hue/Saturation/Luminance Technology.  Using IntelliColor technology, you can easily enhance your image with the HSL filter, getting stronger, yet more natural HSL adjustments.
4. Re-Imagined Masking Workflow.  The masking module, now attached to each adjustment tab contains a comprehensive set of tools including an edge-aware brush, gradient mask, smart feather tool, color aware tool and more.
5. User Interface Design.  With Clarity, we have continued to develop a cleaner, more modern and efficient interface to improve usability, workflow and overall aesthetics. Here’s a peek at the new UI:

Here’s a look at the new masking technology:

Ron’s Take

I haven’t had a chance to review this one yet, but I hope too soon. Be sure to check back to find out what I think about this product after some hands-on time.

NOTE: This product requires photoFXlab or Photoshop to run.

Special Offer – Corrected 5/24/2013

Click here and use the coupon code CLARITYNEW until May 31st to get Clarity at a special reduced price of $29.99. See my discount coupon code page for my discount for use with ALL Topaz products - including the best deal for the bundle.

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission.

onOne Software Announces onOne Labs

New Web Page Provides Customers the Opportunity to Preview and Provide Feedback on Pending Technologies and Products

Portland, OR – May 21, 2013 – onOne Software, Inc.®, the leading developer and provider of photo effects for everyone, has announced onOne Labs, a blog that lists new technologies and products being considered for development in the effort to gauge interest and solicit customer feedback. onOne Labs will allow visitors to learn about development projects, note their interest level, and offer constructive comments.

onOne Labs will allow visitors to directly engage with onOne Software in a collaborative development process and voice what’s important for their digital photography and image editing needs. Projects discussed will range from those early in the concept stage to those in the very beginning of development to those that are near completion. Projects will also be updated throughout their development to elicit additional feedback.

“Customer input has always been a key factor in the development of our product offerings” said Craig Keudell, president of onOne Software. “In the past, we have gained tremendous insight from our customers about their wants and needs through occasional phone calls, emails, surveys, and conversations at conferences. Going forward, we’d like to have an ongoing and direct conversation with our customers to make sure we are meeting their expectations and building the best products for their photography needs. We already have a number of exciting things in the works, which we believe will become great additions to our line up especially after getting customer feedback via these Labs.”

The onOne Labs currently includes discussions about features now in development for the next version of Perfect Photo Suite —including a Quick View Browser and a new Perfect Enhance module—and new product offerings, such as one with the working title, Lightpad. These projects are listed with descriptions and may include visual mock-ups or videos to further describe them. Each of these are now listed in the onOne Labs awaiting feedback.

Availability

The onOne Labs blog may be found at labs.ononesoftware.com. Inquiries and suggestions related to onOne Labs development projects but not listed there may be emailed to labs@ononesoftware.com.

About onOne Software
onOne Software, Inc., is a leading developer of photo effects software and apps for anyone who enjoys making their pictures look great. onOne Software products include effects and presets that enhance and stylize images with sought-after photographic looks of yesterday and today, and powerful photo editing tools that allow users to fine tune effects to create personalized and unique looks of their own. Our apps are designed to help users create amazing images wherever and whenever they are taking pictures, on any device.

onOne Software solutions include a range of easy-to-use desktop standalone applications; plug-in software for Adobe® Photoshop®, Photoshop Elements, Photoshop Lightroom®, and Apple® Aperture; apps for the iPhone® and iPad®; and presets for Lightroom. Founded in 2005, onOne Software is a privately held company located in Portland, Oregon. For additional information, visit www.ononesoftware.com.

Save 50% on the Perfect Photo Suite 7 (with a FREE upgrade to 7.1) if you own the Nik Collection by Google

The Coolest Photography Backpack Ever – The Rotation 180 by Mindshift Gear

The Coolest Photography Backpack Ever!

My friends at Think Tank Photo have launched a new brand called MIndShift Gear which aims to meet the needs of outdoor photographers. Their first new bag looks like it belongs on the shelves of REI!

I’m testing this bag now and will report back with a review soon, but in the meantime I wanted to share a photo and video courtesy of Mindshift Gear.

I’ve got one in my hands as I write this and I can tell you it is so much cooler in real life and YES it’s light for its size! This thing is like the Swiss Army knife of photography backpacks.

Click here to learn more about this bag when it is released!

Disclosure

I was so excited when I found out about the KickStarter campaign to make this bag happen that I tossed in a decent chunk of cash – with a request for nothing in return – just so I could see this bag become a reality. Apparently I wasn’t alone as the funding was many times more than what was requested, so there seems to be a lot of excitement about this idea.

This bag is not currently for sale so I don’t have a mechanism for earning a commission, but I will in the future.

Learn Lighting from a Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer for dirt cheap!

Click image to learn more

Photography legend, Gary Parker, has launch a new web site for his all-new workshop series that begins this week! This master of light will teach you how to light anything using natural light, studio lights, or even a flash light or candle! Gary has over 35 years experience as a commercial photographer and photojournalist so he knows how to get great light in ANY situation – IN A HURRY!

If I lived in the bay area, I’d be at his workshop sitting on the front row this week as NOBODY I’ve met has more to offer about how to get great images on the fly than Gary Parker.

Gary has been my mentor for years, but I pale in comparison to some of the great photographers he has trained over the years. He’s the REAL Canon equivalent of Joe McNally and he has a resume that holds up to the who’s who of the best photographers in the world. If you haven’t ever heard of Gary that’s because he’s been out shooting as a real photographer instead of telling the world what a great photographer he is – his work and resume speak for themselves!

If you want to learn from the best for prices that are dirt cheap for someone with this level of expertise then I’d urge you to check out Gary’s site and reserve your spot before his remaining sessions sell out!

Visit http://www.swampdogphotographyworkshops.com/ for more info.

Other Articles You May Enjoy

Here’s Gary’s web sites which I’m sure you’ll enjoy:

• http://www.swampdogphotographyworkshops.com/ – Check this out first!
• http://blog.garyparker.com/
• http://www.catdogphotography.com
• http://www.garyparker.com

Here’s a few guest blogs he has done for me too:

• Getting The Shot: Steve Jobs and Laurene Powell Jobs In Love by Gary Parker
• Getting The Shot– 73 Seconds to Photograph Bill Gates by Gary Parker
• Getting The Shot: Blue Bulldog by Gary Parker
• LEARNING FROM THE PRO’S: Gary Parker on Having Fun on a Commercial Dog Shoot

Here’s an article I also did about his recently launched blog which he created with my encouragement…

• Get Lighting Tips from Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer for FREE

Disclosure

I don’t make a penny off this referral. I’ve learned a ton from Gary and I know you will too, so I make this recommendation as a service to my readers without any compensation.