300 PPI October 13, 2009 "The magazine that is going to publish my pictures
says the images must be at least 300 ppi. How do I change the
resolution to 300 ppi?"
Come
Along October 7, 2009 I guess you just
had to be there—is something we say when we fall short of capturing the story
in words alone.
Collaboration October 2009 The difference between two parties who compromise or
collaborate is huge.
Informative or
Just Eye Candy? August
2009
Many professional communicators see the visual as a “hook” for the written
story. Using visuals as “eye candy” can make the reader stop and, at
least, start to read the article.
Do Your Photos
Provide Context For Your Subject? July
2009
Just because it is a photo, doesn't mean it is worth 10,000 words. Many
photos have impact and can get your attention, but they could do even more.
Social Networking June
2009
Social Networking is big due to a few things happening around the same time.
My Investment
Advice May 2009
Photographers need to invest wisely and I have a thought about it.
What about the
audience April
2009
As professional communicators we usually determined who our audience
is, but have we considered how the how they learn.
Teaching is a
great way to learn March
2009
I am reminded each time I teach that this is a great way to get better at
this craft.
The Psychology of
the Telephoto Lens February
2009
“What I need is a telephoto lens.” We’ve all said this. The
professional photographer reaches for the lens for many reasons.
The Psychology of
the Wide-Angle Lens January
2009
Some folks choose a telephoto lens to see how close a subject can appear to
be - to say a bear, for instance. These same people doubtlessly chose a
wide-angle lens so they can get-it-all-in the picture, usually a landscape
picture.
This recorder lets you record in WAV
or MP3 recording to compact flash card.
Looking
for Microphone Transom.org did a handheld
microphone shootout where they did comparisons. They let you listen to an
audio sample from each one.
Think Tank The Multimedia Wired Up
Collection, is comprised of four belt-mountable pouches and two beltpacks
that all share a common design goal: to tame the wires tangling up the stills
shooter tasked with gathering sound and moving pictures too.
Some communications professionals
shoot their own pictures instead of hiring a professional photographer.
Whatever the reason for doing it themselves here are a few
things they need to watch for and correct: 1 - Is the color
correct? 2 – Are there dust spots in the pictures? 3 – Are the photos
truly sharp?
Let’s look at these potential problems and see how to avoid
them.
Number
One:
Color calibrate the computer used when working with the photographs.
Here
is a list of just a packages that will do the job:
* Pantone huey – $89
* Spyder3Express Color Calibration System – $89
* X-Rite Eye-One Display LT Color Management Solution – $139
Calibrating a monitor is adjusting it to a known color
space. There are a few different color spaces that are standards. The
figure to the left gives a few. All devices have tolerances.
Calibrating is basically adjusting the monitor to the closest known
factor. The software places a color target on the monitor and uses the
hardware sensor to read the color and make the adjustments automatically.
A CRT monitor (similar to older TVs) must be calibrated more often than a LCD
flat screen. For a good illustration as to why monitors should be
calibrated step into a store showing the same signal on several TVs and look
at the variety of colors.
Now that the monitor is calibrated adjustments made to the
pictures themselves will be more accurate in color, contrast and
brightness. Calibration also cuts the number of surprises emerging from
a printer.
Number Two:
Cameras with interchangeable lenses (SLRs) need to have the sensor cleaned of
dust. Many local camera stores offer this service for about $50.
I use the Delkins Sensor Scope Kit to service my cameras
myself. It comes with a magnifier that lets you see the dust on the
sensor once the mirror is locked up for cleaning. (See the illustration
on right) Here is a link to their website http://www.delkin.com/products/sensorscope/sensorsystem.html
There is a video on how to clean your sensor.
Clean sensors saves a lot of time spent in PhotoShop just repairing the
damage caused by dust. Often, with dirty sensors, a dust spot will be
almost impossible to remove with the software.
Number Three:
The last step - calibrate your lenses. No matter what
camera/lens you buy, it's almost certainly been mass-produced.
Even with the close tolerances adhered to by the better manufacturers; it is
rare that perfection is achieved. If the camera body is "off" by a
fraction and so is the lens the combination produces an image that is
soft. To be sure this is not the case the lens must be calibrated.
One tool for this is the LensAlign that sells for $179. http://www.lensalign.com
Here is a video for you to see how this works:
If
all this takes more time and effort than is practical perhaps the
communications professional should just hire me and let me worry about (and
take care of) all this for them.
