Direct from http://www.ononesoftware.com/products/perfect-bw-ios/

onOne Software, producers of award-winning software for photographers has hit yet another home run with their new release of Perfect B&W for iPhone and iPad. Releasing in the very near future Perfect B&W for iPhone and iPad will change the way you create black & white images on your iPhone or iPad. With Perfect B&W for iPhone and iPad you can set the mood, the mystery, the drama, the elegance or the romance to your favorite image taking it from color to a stunning black and white with strong brights and rich shadows. With the advance controls you can add your unique styling and then save your adjustments as a personal preset to use on your future photos. Or, if you prefer to snap and share, you can choose from the collection of one-tap presets for a quick stylization before sharing. Don’t wait for this to hit the app store go directly to onOne Software Perfect B&W for iPhone and iPad and register to become one of the first-to-hear when Perfect B&W for iPhone and iPad becomes available in the app store. Submitting your email address also will add your name to the drawing to win a free copy of the app.

If you are not a Photoshop user then PERFECT PHOTO SUITE 7, Lightroom & Aperture Edition will be just right for you. With this edition you can seamlessly go from Lightroom or Aperture into any of the modules, save, and return to Lightroom or Aperture as if you never left.  With the Lightroom & Aperture Edition you can also open any of 200 camera RAW files.  With the power of 9 modules of creative effects, retouching, textures, masking, layering and resizing, your creativity is endless.

Both Suite Editions in the Spring Savings promotion include the 9 Perfect modules, but the Premium Edition also includes a plug-in for Photoshop along with Lightroom and Aperture.

If you are not sure you need the whole Perfect Photo Suite, then check out the savings on the individual Products. Do you like exploring the Black & White side of your images, then Perfect B&W loaded with 97 effects each with adjustment sliders, adds endless control to meet your vision. During this special Spring Savings promotion you can save from $40-$50 on the individual products, but it won’t take but a few to meet the Spring Savings price of even the SUITE 7 Lightroom & Aperture Edition at $99.95.

Just click on the BANNER below and it will take you to the special Spring Savings page

UNFORTUNATELY THE SALE HAS EXPIRED CLICK ON THE BANNER BELOW FOR CURRENT PRICING

UNFORTUNATELY THE SALE HAS EXPIRED CLICK ON THE BANNER BELOW FOR CURRENT PRICING

Here are just a few examples of the flexibility and capabilities of onOne’s Perfect Photo Suite. These images were processed using an earlier version of Perfect Photo Suite standalone version.  All layers, textures, focus control, stylization and color enhancements were applied using the different modules inside Perfect Photo Suite.  However, you will need to add those special star bursts in Photoshop or your favorite sunburst plug-in.

In this first image of the Charcoal Kilns in Death Valley National Park, I used a 2.5K candlepower flashlight with an orange gel to simulate fire light emitting from each kiln. Using the 2.5K light my wife went into each of the kilns lighting up the inside as I exposed each shot. After we had exposed each of the kilns I turned my concentration to setting my exposure for the star trails. I chose a 120 second exposure at ISO 200 and an aperture of f/8. Even though I was using my TS-E 24mm tilt-shift lens on my Canon 5D MkII I knew I needed depth-of-field to insure that my main elements of this composition would be in sharp focus from front to back, including the distant mountains. This is one of those shots that enforces the old saying, “be prepared”. When we travel we take not only what we know we need, we take a bunch of gear we might use, easy to pack and carry when you travel by car.  I did not include Polaris in the frame as I composed and framed this shot mainly because I did not want Polaris to become a driving element in the composition.  Not always do my compositions point towards Polaris, and not always is it a welcome element to be included in my compositions. It depends on the strength of the foreground elements and if the circular pattern of the stars around Polaris add to, compliment, or add to the diagonal of the frame. In post production my first step was to handle my sequence images and combine them into the finished star trails. I accomplished this first by opening my first image in Lightroom 4 adding 70% clarity, you can go 100% on the clarity slider but in this image it produced too many stars for me, I then adjust white balance and exposure to my liking. I then sync all the images, including my light painted images and export them as Tiff’s. Dr. Brown’s Stack-A-Matic is my stacking program of choice of which I load the Tif images from Adobe Bridge and Stack-A-Matic stacks the sequence into CS6 extended. Now all that needs to be done is opening the light painted images as layers into the star trail image, add a black mask to each layer and paint-in the orange fire from each of the kilns. I did spend some time cloning out the air traffic footprints, fortunately in this shot we were out of main air routes. The final step in my workflow is a trip through Perfect Effects 4 from onOne Software to bring out colors, textures and detail. For me, I rarely skip using onOne Software’s Perfect Effects 4 to enhance the tonality, contrast, colors and special effects that always boast the appearance of the final image. If you don’t have the option of layer building look at onOne’s Perfect Photo Suite 7,  it is a great solution to layering with Perfect Layers, Mask, Effects and more, and will expand your Lightroom image processing workflow. If you use the standard version of Photoshop Dr. Brown’s Stack-A-Matic script will not work, however if you use “Load Files into Photoshop Layers” from Bridge you can us the “Lighten” blend mode once in Photoshop.

In this image of the old steam tractor at Furnace Creek Ranch I positioned myself facing northward and decided to include Polaris in the composition. I used the large tractor wheel and the circular starts around Polaris in juxtaposition including adding a diagonal element to the composition. This shot was also taken during the full moon cycle and provided ample light providing detail and texture to the old steel of the tractor. A red gel on my flashlight was used to light paint different areas of the tractor just in case I decided to add a stronger mood to the composition. My wife and I often spend time before or after the main shoot light painting the different elements just in case I want to change the mood during post production. In the development of this image a fellow photographer did the light painting working between several photographers in our group.

My post production workflow on this image was almost identical to the above, including the trip through onOne Software Perfect Effects 4 for a boost.

Shooting the stars during a bright moon can be challenging but the rewards are well worth the challenge. By understanding a few principles of moonlight you can ensure a successful night of shooting. The difference in exposure between just a quarter moon and a full moon is 3 1/2 stops of exposure. Add the bright moon during the months of May and June and you can add another 1/3 stop of light. A slight cast of whispy clouds covering the moon can cost you a half to a whole stop of light. Additionally, as the moon rises above the horizon and it’s brightness is effected by the earths atmosphere the intensity of the moon’s brightness may differ up to 5 stops or more until it rises in the sky. I have had an occasion where I wanted to start my sequencing as the moon rose making it difficult to set an exposure that I could live with throughout the sequence.  In this situation I will shift my exposure towards the brighter moon and handle the exposure variance in post production. If I have any don’t do’s it would be not to change exposures after you start your sequencing as this will brighten or dim the stars depending on your exposure adjustment and will eventually show the preceding sequence of stars as brighter or dimmer than the continuing sequence. Another important principle is to make sure your exposures are long enough to expose the stars as they trail. What I mean by this is by using the 600 rule insure that your focal length and exposure will result in a star streak. Personally, I use 500 to divide my focal length into as I have found 600 to be a tad liberal in the results. As an example, I used a 24mm lens, therefore 500/24= 21, that’s a 21 second exposure before the stars begin to show movement. If we were shooting the Milky way during a dark sky we would be able to have a shutter speed of 21 seconds and still retain sharp stars. In our case we need to make sure our exposure is greater so we can create streaking stars. My rule of thumb starts at twice the maximum exposure and goes up from there to achieve my desired results.  The lesson here is don’t wait for the new moon or a dark sky to shoot your favorite subjects in the shadows, unless that’s your flavor.  Shoot them in the moonlight and see how moon light brings life into your compositions.

When I approached this second mural I had to chuckle at the artists’ philosophy of life, or maybe where he or she interpreted there position in life. Many of the murals carry compositional elements reflecting social and political interaction, ethnicity, community and people.  As you walk the alley you will notice that the artists’ canvas could be the garage door or even the entire side of the building.  Nearing the half way point a local woman approached with her four pugs in leash. In my usual way I always take time to greet mans best friend and exchange greetings with the person holding the leash. To our surprise she was a local resident returning from her noonday walk and was happy to share the affection of her pugs. To really immerse yourself in the cultural experience of the Mission District, and we do this wherever we go, is to eat where the locals eat. She was most eager to offer several of the popular local hangouts including directions and best time of day to go.

At the end of Balmy Alley you will find yourself on 24th Street, the main street of the Mission District. This is where the excitement and fun begins. For most of my street photography I shoot with a Canon 5D MkII, which is a full frame and a 14mm lens. I like to shoot close and wide, including as much of the moment as I can. I usually shoot three exposures at either 1 stop or at times 1 1/2 stops in order to capture as much tonality as possible. On the streets you can be totally in the shade, all sun, or 50-50 so bracketing multiple shots will give you the assurance you will have what you need when it comes time for production of your images. Most if not all my street scenes will include people. Why, because for me people make the moment, people are telling the story without me having to. I usually try to keep myself in the background as I casually cruse the sidewalk, although at times it is hard to do when you and your wheelchair standout like a neon sign. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself as a tourist just checking things out and taking pictures of the wonderful elements of their town.  We have met more interesting people in our travels after engaging in conversation.  People are willing to have their picture taken and felt comfortable that we were not trying to invade their privacy.

When shooting wide I get as close as I can and try to include a strong foreground element that will play into the scene. In this shot I was able to rest my camera on a wooden planter and wait for the opportunity to shoot three exposures that would capture the feeling of friends enjoying an afternoon coffee on a sidewalk bench. When shooting close and wide make sure you have plenty of depth-of-field to encompass the entire scene. There’s nothing worse than finding out your focus point caused the foreground element to be soft or the main character in the scene is be too soft to contribute to the composition.

As we approached this sidewalk market I really felt the sense of community. I positioned myself at the best point of view I could and we sat there for the longest time watching as people came and went. The interestingness of the people as they shopped the market became my focus. I waited, I shot and I feel this image represents the mood in the air at this sidewalk market.

A fun aspect of street photography for me is the flexibility the digital darkroom provides.  Often times as I begin processing my street scenes I tend to let my wild side peek out and influence my results, but that’s the fun part of the digital darkroom. Everything is open to impression and nothing is permanent. My hope is that you enjoyed reading my experiences and that you will expand your personal visions beyond your present boundaries.

]]> http://www.kevinlcole.com/street-photography/feed/ 1 http://www.kevinlcole.com/bryan-cole-on-buzzardgraphics-com/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=bryan-cole-on-buzzardgraphics-com http://www.kevinlcole.com/bryan-cole-on-buzzardgraphics-com/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2013 19:42:15 +0000 Kevin Cole http://www.kevinlcole.com/?p=1422 Beginning in January I will be featuring a new up and coming website in my sidebar each month. This month I am featuring Bryan Cole, developer and personal web-designer of buzzardgraphics.com, and, my son. In July of last year he was laid off his job as SEO and webmaster of one of the largest online safety supply companies in the United States. You would think that with his talents and skills new employment would be just around the corner. Well, he has turned more corners than one could count, turned over every rock in his path and remains underutilized, unemployed that is. Buzzardgraphics.com is a website Bryan has owned for many years displaying his photographic and media graphic talents. He has now refocused the website more personal in support of finding work in this tough economy.

This is from his “About Me” page

Hello, I’m Bryan. I have background in digital media and writing. I received my B.A. in Mass Communications and Journalism from Cal State University Fresno. While in attendance, I worked for the on-campus newspaper, The Collegian, and gained experience working in a team oriented atmosphere, as-well-as honing my writing and digital media skills.  After college I spent 2 years as a freelance photographer for the Visalia Times Delta/Tulare Advanced Register, covering local events, such as high school/college sports, city council meetings, graduations, parades, cultural events and much more. Since then I have taken on learning and practicing content writing for online SEO purposes. I spent 2 years writing online content for Guardian Safety & Supply, LLC. online websites that including writing product descriptions and blogging. I was also responsible for organizing products on the website. Creating categories with sub-categories in order to organize products for a better online shopping experience.

]]> http://www.kevinlcole.com/bryan-cole-on-buzzardgraphics-com/feed/ 0 http://www.kevinlcole.com/lake-side-not-as-easy-as-it-looks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lake-side-not-as-easy-as-it-looks http://www.kevinlcole.com/lake-side-not-as-easy-as-it-looks/#comments Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:06:19 +0000 Kevin Cole http://www.kevinlcole.com/?p=1280 This trip was the perfect example why you always do prior research so you venture into the known and not the unknown. During the Christmas celebration with family we decided to take an afternoon road trip to Millerton Lake, the local recreation lake we have long enjoyed during the summer months. We knew from experience that this time of year the lake would be at or near it’s lowest point in anticipation for the spring snow melt. We also knew that when the lake is this low it exposes many of the now dead trees that where left standing when the lake was originally filled in early 1944. The unfortunate part of this story is that I was not able to bring my wilderness chair that would be necessary to negotiate the sandy shores of the lake. My only hope to salvation was the recent rains leaving the sands somewhat packed and hardened. Well, as you can see from the iPhone images my wife took, I was only partially correct in my assessment of the conditions. We struggled for what seemed like hours trying to put me into a perspective that would yield an image worthy of our efforts, but it was not in the cards as they say. I preach this to all my workshop students, identify your enemy, plan your best defense, execute it the best you can, and be satisfied in the end that you did all you could do.

By the end of the shoot when the dust settled, and the emotions retreated to normal, an evaluation in the camera reveled the stark bare facts……no stunners here.  So, was it a bust at days end? Never!  Know this, accomplishments come in several ways,  make each and every experience special with your eyes, your mind, and lastly, your camera. If you can achieve the first two then last will happen almost on it’s own needing only your camera skills.  With that……..you will never be disappointed with the events outcome.

Perspective is a key element when composing and framing the scene in front of you, and never feel that you can only point your camera and push that shutter button from ground level.My favorite shot was taken with my iPhone 4s the prior day while exploring locations for this days shoot.  This shot was taken using Smugmug’s “Camera Awesome” camera app and processed with “Snapseed” by Nik Software.

]]> http://www.kevinlcole.com/lake-side-not-as-easy-as-it-looks/feed/ 3 http://www.kevinlcole.com/wheelchair-rock-climbing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wheelchair-rock-climbing http://www.kevinlcole.com/wheelchair-rock-climbing/#comments Thu, 13 Dec 2012 02:45:58 +0000 Kevin Cole http://www.kevinlcole.com/?p=1072 During our 4 day visit to the Alabama Hills we drove, walked,wheeled and photographed every square inch we could get into. The Alabama Hills is about 20 miles west of the town of Lone Pine in the eastern sierras and has been a favorite location for movie and television producers since the silent film days. The town of Lone Pine has seen more stars of the big screen than any other town in the United States, with the exception of Hollywood. The land is managed by the BLM, Bureau of Land Management, and short of developing new roads your exploration options are wide open. You can hike from one end to the other, climb up, climb down and climb over as many rocks as you want. Overnight camping is permitted without cost and campfires are allowed with a campfire permit, just use the existing rock ring fire rings. Some of the roads are marked for 4-wheel drive vehicles only and you can easily see why, but most can be traveled by car. One of the popular attractions are the natural arches of Alabama Hills, with Mobius Arch being the most popular.  Unfortunately visiting the arches in a wheelchair is not possible, the trail is narrow and steep, and drops maybe a hundred feet from the trail-head within a short distance.  It was a disappointment when we discovered the arches were off the photo list for us, but there are so many photo opportunities that we quickly found our attentions elsewhere. The Alabama Hills is a desert region and if you have read my other desert experiences you know that the desert sands are no place for a wheelchair, even the best of electric wheelchairs have a difficult time negotiating the deep soft sand. I found most of the roads fairly easy traveling as long as I followed the tire ruts and staying clear of the soft sandy sides of the roads. If you are a manual wheelchair user there are several great places where the ground is hard packed  that with moderate effort  you can experience some great views and excellent photo opportunities. So, what  else is there to do in these there hills? Yep, you guessed it, rock climbing. It has been a long time since I could be found climbing and hiking through the rocky formations in the desert sun and I was not about to leave here without finding a rock or two to climb. Through all our searching this was the only rock we found that I could climb and if it wasn’t for that darn crack I would have gone clear to the top. As it was the view from there was gorgeous, I could see the entire backside of the hills towards Lone Pine and to the Panamint Mountains. I sat there for the longest time soaking up has much of my victory I could, thankful for the opportunity to climb a rock in the Alabama Hills of California. As always with each victory to one comes spoils to another, and this time my wife was the receptor of this award. Watching as I motored up this rock to this highest point was unnerving for her to say the least. We have this agreement between us, I will ignore all danger and she will worry for the both of us. Shaking and sweating she did manage to snap a few shots with her iPhone for prosperity. The Alabama Hills will always be on our favorite places to visit list in the spring and fall.

]]> http://www.kevinlcole.com/wheelchair-rock-climbing/feed/ 0 http://www.kevinlcole.com/dont-miss-the-moment/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dont-miss-the-moment http://www.kevinlcole.com/dont-miss-the-moment/#comments Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:14:50 +0000 Kevin Cole http://www.kevinLcole.com/?p=861 My camera is 10 steps away and the light is changing before my eyes. I quickly reach for my iPhone 4S, load the Hipstamatic camera app, and within 30 seconds I’m capturing this stunning cactus flower as the sun danced in beauty. With so many camera apps to choose from I keep going to Hipstamatic for it’s analog style imagery and versatility of lenses and film effects. This was shot using the JohnS lens and Ina’s 1969 film, a combination that works well together.  With Hipstamatic there is no additional post production to the image, that’s the beauty of the app, and you never really know what you are going to get either.

Being a photographer I always tell people that I never go anywhere without my camera. While that is indeed true, I do take my camera with me always, my iPhone is my camera of choice for these shoot it quick opportunities. Not always is Hipstamatic the only camera app I use. Smugmug has a great camera app called Camera Awesome” and indeed it is. With the ability to choose both focus and exposure points and with the help of the grid I can focus on the subject, choose how to expose and make sure I’m near level. Post production is usually completed with Nik Softwares Snapseed prior to sharing.

If you are interested this is the flower of Soehrensia bruchii:

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