Fro Knows Photo gives away Red River Paper

On By Mark DoddIn Free Stuff, General Blog PostLeave a comment

Fro Knows Photo gives away Red River Paper to first 300 responders

 

Jared Polin, aka the I Shoot RAW man, of Fro Knows Photo is one of the folks that I follow. He has a unique perspective on photography that I like as I think it just tells it like it is.

Right now he has an offer for the first 300 responders for sample paper from Red River Paper. Red River Paper is one paper source I have used and would recommend. I”m just not big enough yet to get these types of offers for my readers so I wanted to share Fro Knows Photo’s post.

Click on the link in his video to see if you can still get the free sample kit from Red River Paper and give their paper a try. I’m sure you will like it.

 

Don’t forget to check out Fro Knows Photo as well as I’m sure you will like his content as well.

 

 

You can also click on the “F” logo in the bottom right to go to the post on his page.

 

Went on a Photowalk in Havre de Grace

On By Mark DoddIn General Blog Post, Havre de GraceLeave a comment

Went on a Photowalk in Havre de Grace with a group of new and old friends.

 

A photographer friend of mine (Sean Simmons of Clear Elite Photography) set up a Photowalk in Havre de Grace for this past Sunday morning and invited his followers and the members of our Facebook Group All Inclusive Photography Club, of which you are welcome to join. We all meet up at the Concord Point Lighthouse and got ready for the sun to rise. Had a great time talking with friends and taking pictures. I would recommend anyone to go check out the lighthouse and surrounding area as it is a beautiful place to take pictures in the morning. Or any other time of day for that matter.

The Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre de Grace is someplace I’ve told myself I need to go to and photo the sunrise for some time now, but I never seem to get myself motivated enough to get out of bed the hour or two before sunrise to get there in time. I finally did it this past weekend, mostly due to Sean setting up the Photowalk and knowing several of the people who would be going on the Photowalk.  So I dragged myself out of bed at 4:30am and hit the road a little after 5am. It is a little over and an hour drive from my house and I was hoping I wouldn’t miss the sunrise or the sky just before the sun comes over the horizon. I just made it in time.

I think all that went and I had a great time. I am amazed by the photos folks have posted in our group from the Photowalk so far. We had a variety of folks with different skill levels and various types of camera equipment from a cell phone to DSLR and Mirrorless cameras. I think this variation of folks is what makes our group great and made for a great Photowalk.

 

The Sun Rises Over The Bay

When on a Photowalk
The Sun Rises over the Bay – ©2016 MarkDoddphotography.com

 

This is what I hope is the first of many photos from this trip as I have many yet to edit. So I”m sure you will be seeing more.

This photo was taken with the HDR method using 3 brackets from -1,0,+1 in exposure and combined in Aurora HDR Pro

 

Here is a picture edited by Sean Simmons of most of the group that got up early on Sunday to get out there and get their best photo of the sunrise and more.

 

Went on a Photowalk

#AuroraHDR #Sunrise #HavredeGrace #chesapeakebay

Sale on Becoming and Artist and a Photo from Me

On By Mark DoddIn General Blog Post, MarylandLeave a comment

Sale on Becoming An Artist – Season 1

 

If you have thought about getting the complete series and waiting for it to go on sale, well here it is.

You can now get the complete series at 30% off.

Get your copy here before the sale is gone

Click on the link to get all the details on what is included and information about the series.

 

The Color before the Storm

 

I haven’t had much of a chance to go out and take pictures recently and I have yet to process those that I have taken. This one I did get to take quickly near my home.

There was a storm rolling in with very dark and gloomy clouds right around sunset. I didn’t think we would get any sunset, but then I looked out and saw this.  Ran to get the camera and get a quick snapshot before it disappeared.

And disappear it did not long after this photo.

 

The brief sunset before the storm came through.
#becominganartist #sale #latestphoto

Free Five-Week HDR Course

On By Mark DoddIn Free StuffLeave a comment

A Free Five-Week HDR Course from Macphun

 

Free Five-Week HDR Course Image

 

As you can tell from earlier posts I’m a user and big believer of Aurora HDR and that HDR is one of the types of photography that I like to do. I’ve often thought of doing some of my own lessons on the subject, but why should I reinvent the wheel when there is already a great set of lessons out there.

I’m going to take the course myself as I know I can always learn something new even on things that I have done for a while. Nothing worse that doing something a certain way and finding out you have done it wrong all along. I’ve found there is always one little tip or trick that I never thought of in these courses. For the rest, it is just a confirmation that I”m doing things correctly and it is nice to get a confirmation that you are doing things right once in a while.

 

The Essential HDR is for you if you are new to HDR photography or just new to Aurora HDR, this course will introduce you to the essentials of HDR photography and an introduction to the use of Aurora HDR.

 

The Essential HDR course is broken down into 10 lessons.

  1. The HDR Basics
  2. Exposure Brackets
  3. Tripod vs Handheld HDR
  4. Exposure in HDR
  5. Natural HDR
  6. Pick the right location for HDR
  7. Black and White HDR Photography
  8. HDR Textures & More
  9. Masks and layers n HDR Processing
  10. Deep dive into HDR Photography

 

Each lesson consists of a detailed explanation of the topic, along with an easy-to-understand practice assignment that reinforces the lesson. You can start anytime and if you miss a lesson, just look back in your inbox for that lessons email.

 

So are you ready to get started a becoming a better HDR photographer?

 

Sign up here for the free HDR course by
and start improving your HDR photography today

 

If you do not already have Aurora HDR, click the image below to download a free trial that you can use while you are taking the course. The current release of Aurora HDR is for Mac OS only.

 

Free Aurora HDR Download for the Free Five-Week HDR Course

 

And don’t forget to sign up to get information on the next version of Aurora HDR, Aurora HDR 2017.

 

Sign up Here to get Aurora HDR 2017 updates including when pre-order starts for the Mac version and release information for Aurora HDR 2017 for Windows

 

You will get information about the pre-order start date and updates on the Aurora HDR 2017 release for Mac. Windows users can sign up to get notified about the future release of Aurora HDR 2017 for Windows. The windows version is definitely coming, just no official release date yet.

 

#FreeHDRCourse #AuroraHDR #Macphun #Lessons #Free #HDRCourse

Things don’t always go as planned

On By Mark DoddIn Carroll County, General Blog Post, HampsteadLeave a comment

Sometimes things don’t always go as planned, but that doesn’t mean the pictures you end up with are not worth keeping.

 

Recently I went out on two different days with hope to take some breathtaking sunset photography.

On the first trip, I just wanted to get the sunset on a recently cut farmers field. This turned out to be a dud as far as my plans went. First, the sunset did not look like it was going to be that great so I didn’t head out to the location. About 10 mins after I had planned on leaving, the sun broke through the clouds and the start of a spectacular sunset was on its way.

I got into the car and rush to the location I was thinking about. Even though it was only a few miles from where I was, by the time I got there and got my camera equipment setup, the best part of the sunset had gone. I was bummed, but I was still determined to get some photos while I was there so it would not be a wasted trip.

I looked around and saw that the farmer’s combine was parked nearby and that the cab’s window was facing in the direction of what was left of the sunset. I immediately ran over and set up my tripod and started taking pictures. I usually try to do HDR photo’s which require taking a series of shots at different exposures which get combined later on my computer with Aurora HDR Pro to produce the final picture.

Here is one of the pictures I ended up capturing. It was not the red sky and the farm field that I had planned on, but I made the best of what was available to me.

 

Sunset Reflection in the cab of a combine Things don't always go as planned article
Sunset Reflection in the cab of a combine after a long day on the job.

 

This shot was a result of the HDR process by combining the 3 shots shot at -2,0,+2 exposures and using Aurora HDR Pro to process the combined shots into the final you see above.

Now on to another trip where my HDR Process failed me

Continue reading “Things don’t always go as planned” →

Aurora HDR Next Release Announced

On By Mark DoddIn General Blog PostLeave a comment

Aurora HDR 2017

Welcome to Aurora HDR 2017

 

Aurora HDR Next Release Announced today. Aurora HDR is the world’s most powerful HDR software made exclusively for Mac. If you are waiting for Aurora HDR for Windows  make sure to sign up and click the radio button for “I use PC” so you get notified of the Aurora HDR for Windows release at a future date.

 

Pre-orders for Aurora HDR 2017 will start September 14th, with the official release launch on September 29th for the Mac Version. Windows users, still sign up and get notified about Aurora HDR for Windows, it is coming, just not September 29th.

 

 Sign up Here to get notified when pre-ordering starts and any updates on the Aurora HDR 2017 release.

 

Summary of a few of the Aurora HDR 2017 Features and Improvements.

  • New Batch Processing
  • New Tools, including polarize filter and radial masking tool
  • New presets by Trey Ratcliff and other recognized pros
  • Updated tone-mapping and bracket merging technology for more realistic looking HDR images

This is just the shortlist. There will be over 20 key improvements and new features in this release.

 

Sign Up NOW to get notified of the additional features Aurora HDR 2017

 

Aurora HDR Next Release Announced Upgrades and Pricing

  • Current users of Aurora HDR Pro can upgrade to Aurora HDR 2017 at a special pre-order price of $49
  • Current users of the standard version of Aurora HDR can upgrade to Aurora HDR 2017 at a special pre-order upgrade price of $69
  • New customers can pre-order Aurora HDR 2017 for $89
  • Pre-order customers will also receive special bonuses that and announced soon. As soon as I”m notified of what they are I’ll post it here.

 

Sign up Here to get notified when pre-ordering starts and any updates on the Aurora HDR 2017 release.

 

#AuroraHDR #AuroraHDR2017 #AuroraHDRPro #AuroraHDRProUpgrade #AuroraHDRUpgrade #NewRelease #nextreleaseofAuroraHDR #Macphun #AuroraHDRWindows

 

Educational, Government, Military, Group, Corporate discounts

On By Mark DoddIn TipsLeave a comment

Don’t forget to look for Educational, Government, Military, Group, or Corporate discounts when you’re buying software or hardware. No matter who the vendor is.

 

Most vendors I have come across have Educational, Government, Military, Group, or Corporate discounts available. Some do not make it easy to find on their websites while others, like Macphun, put it clearly on their front page.

 

The requirements to receive the discounts will vary from one vendor to another along with the method of proof of membership in the group. For example, B&H Photo does offer educational discounts, but has a stricter policy on who can receive the discount than others. Others are more flexible, and include a larger group that are eligible such as Faculty, Staff, and Students, instead of just Faculty and Students for educational institutions.

 

I would recommend that you make it your policy if you are a member of any educational institution, former or active Military, work for any part of the Government, or part of a larger company or association such as AAA, AARP, etc. to ask the company you are looking to buy from if they offer a discount to your group. When you ask, also make sure you find out what proof of group membership is required to receive the discount. If you do not see discounts mentioned directly on the website of the company, don’t be afraid to contact them via email or phone before you making your purchase and ask. The worst they can say is no  or you are not part of the qualifying group and you are no worse for the wear. It is better to ask before your buy and find out they do not offer any discount than to buy and find out later you could have gotten a better deal via one of these discounts.

 

Some Photography Slang

On By Mark DoddIn General Blog PostLeave a comment

Photography slang that you may already know or should know.

 

I’m not much on acronyms or slang but I found the following article interesting and even a little amusing so I though I would share. Hope is either informative or gives you a smile at what some of them mean.

 

Click here to see the 10 slang words every photographer should know

 

Recently I’ve found myself having writers block or not able to think of a good subject to write about during the week. So I’ve decided that I will share some things that I’ve found that I think you might enjoy or benefit from. I’m far from an expert on everything related to photography, so if I find a site or article that I either benefited from or I think you could benefit from I’ll create a post and include a link to it.

Download FREE Trials of Photography Software

On By Mark DoddIn Free StuffLeave a comment

FREE trials

Download FREE trials of various photography editing software. I know many like to try out a product before spending your hard-earned money on it, so here ya go with a free way to tryout these great apps.

 

Don’t forget to check out my Discounts and Coupon Codes post as I may have a discount for the software after you try it out. Click the Discounts and Coupon Codes menu above to see.

 

Recommended software Free Trail links.

 

 

As I come across more free trial downloads of software I feel comfortable recommending I’ll be adding more here.

 

#free #freetrial #software #photography #photoeditors #tryout

 

Happy 4th of July

On By Mark DoddIn General Blog PostLeave a comment

Happy 4th of July to Everyone.

I hope you have a good day and get out there and get some great shots of the fireworks in your area.

And just a reminder, the

Macphuns' Shooting Fireworks Bundle

is still available to help you out with improving those fireworks shots that you will get or  just got.