We are currently offering 10x16x1.25 wrapped canvases for $80 shipped. That is about 37% cheaper then most canvas printing labs, that use questionable methods and materials. You read an overview of our materials, so now I will explain our process.

Process:

We work on color calibrated monitors and printers to ensure that all colors are accurate to your images. To do this we provide free color correction prior to printing at your discretion. We can also perform image enhancements such as black and white conversions, sepia conversions, oil-painting effects and water color effects. We also provide basic retouching services including exposure correction, color correction, red eye removal, date stamp removal, and removal of minor dust, scratches and blemishes absolutely free at your discretion.

After preparing your image we send it to one of our Epson printers. Your images are printed at 1440dpi at low speed to ensure maximum detail, color graduation, and contrast. We then place your image in a secure location and allow it to air dry for a period of 24-hours to allow the ink to outgas. Once your canvas has completely dried, we seal it with a true matte varnish. After the varnish as dried we place it on the stretching bars, trim it and wrap the canvas. After everything is completed and inspected your canvas is packaged and shipped to you. During the entire process, your image(s) are handled by a human and are never done automatically.

For more information and details please see our other posts regarding prints and canvases at http://blog.charlesshowalter.com/2011/03/31/printing-information/ and http://blog.charlesshowalter.com/2011/03/29/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/.

After all of these months, I have not posted any images of our canvases. So today, I decided that I would go ahead and provide a real sample:

I have been to Julian several times and it wasn’t until this last trip that I realized that Julian still has a standing holding cell for suspicious people back in the day. It’s a small building and only holds two people, one in each cell. It was very interesting to check out. It was cool to be able to enter the building and walk around. I did want to enter a cell, but they keep them locked for security purposes. I was tempted to head back to our cabin and get the keys that looked like they would fit the cell doors and try them out. Julian’s Holding Cell:

One of the nights, I did go out in the freezing wind to take some sunset shots. I did pick the perfect night as there was some amazing colors in the sky that I could not pass up. The following image was the last image that I shot that night and it so happened that I went out just in time to capture an amazing array of colors in the sky. The colors you see in this image is what my camera captured. Truly stunning!

This next image is the same image as above, but I took it a step further and turned it into an artistic piece. This image is quite popular on my facebook page, but I am having a hard time duplicating the results in the full size image. I will play with the full size image of these and see if I can match the results as this would make for a great canvas print.

While up there I decided to practice some natural light portraiture photography. This is one area that I am greatly trying to improve in. I have shot most of my portraiture work in studio or using studio strobes, so natural light portraiture photography is a new area for me. I have concluded that I need to learn how to see light and how it relates, because it is different for landscape and wildlife photography.

Lastly just random images. I will eventually add more to this section as I edit more.

Yesterday I received Nik Software’s Complete Collection, and I have to say they have done a tremendous job putting this together. It my first time ever using their software and it was a breeze. What I like about their software is the control points (U-Points) which allows you to selectively change the effects in particular parts of the image.I played around with the collection for several hours and I feel like I am just starting to get a grasp on its full potential it can offer. Although I am struggling with is HDR Efex Pro. I am very accustom to the results that Photomatix puts out, that I am having a hard time matching it in HDR Efex Pro, which I will demonstrate in this post.

The follow images demonstrate some of the effects that you will find in Color Efex Pro. My favorites thus far are Glamour Glow, B/W Conversion and Vignette Blur. Color Stylizer also produces a nice effect, which you can see in the middle image directly below. These effects are just the tip of the iceberg and I am sure I will use more as time goes on.

HDR Efex Pro vs Photomatix: I have been using Photomatix for years and I very accustom to their controls and how the results will turn out. I was pleased with the results and my clients absolutely loved the results. Then I know several people who swear by HDR Efex Pro so I decided to give it a try. HDR Efex has so many algorithms to choose from, it can be almost daunting to get started. I did try some of their presets, but they were not giving me starting results to manipulate from. Basically it was a lot of trial and error. After a couple hours of trying all kinds of different results I think I finally found something that almost has the same look as Photomatix. After spending considerable amount of time in HDR Efex Pro, I don’t think that I will give it up. I know its potential and I wish to gain more knowledge in its controls to produce amazing HDR images. Without further ado, lets get on with the comparison.

Photomatix Pro 3:

HDR Efex Pro:

Photomatix Pro 3:

HDR Efex Pro:

What spark the interest in writing this post is the current discussion going on in the photography group that I am part of. We are discussing the various alternatives to dedicated macro lenses. In this post, we will be looking at one of those alternatives, in particularly the Tiffen Close-up Filter set which can be found at http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/56779-REG/Tiffen_52CUS_52mm_Close_up_Glass_Lens.html for $32.96 + Shipping.

For less than $40 these filters actually perform very well, and you can use them for less critical detailed shots. Also they are stackable to make a total of +7 magnification. At +7 it begins to loose sharpness and detail using wide apertures as you will see in the 100% crop shown below. At this point I would recommend stepping down 2-stop to increase depth of field. I have used this filters in the past to shoot close-ups of products in the studio with exceptional results. My post on the spider holster was shot using my nifty fifty and macro filters. You can find that post here: http://blog.charlesshowalter.com/2010/10/27/spiderpro-system/. Getting detailed shots is possible and it essentially comes down to what Zack Arias says, “Know your camera, know your gear, know your limitations.” For me, I know that my nifty fifty can’t use +7 at f/2.8, therefore I wouldn’t use this combination to shoot detailed close-ups.

Equipment: Canon 50 f/1.8 (Nifty Fifty) + Tiffen 52mm Close-up Filter Set +1, +2, +4

Technical: ISO – 200, Shutter Speed – 400, Aperture – 2.8

Processing: None (SOOC)

Here was the test that I performed using the metering method that Zack uses. These are SOOC.

And it works. Now I can feel more confident in my exposure and having consistency throughout my shots.

My cousin bought a new car. To be exact he bought a Chevy Camaro and he wanted to get some shots of it so that he can have a before and after shot. These are the before shots and in the next few days the dealer will be installing his rims, which I am sure will be doing some more shots. I never shot vehicles before so this was a new learning experience. If you’re asking did I get to drive it and the answer is Yes! Black Chevy Camaro – Before Rims:

The museum grounds are opened everyday from 9-5pm, but to get the full experience you must visit on the weekends. This is when the trains are operating and the hangers are open. To my surprise for being a free museum, it was not crowded at all. Most of the people there were families with small children and they were just riding the train and yellow-car back and forth and playing in the kids area. I am a very observant person, so while walking around I was trying to get a feel for some of the volunteers and how the react between each other, and there are some questionable ones.

Heading back to our vehicle at the train station two of the volunteers started to get into it. One was mouthing off and the other was yelling back I told you to take break, and it started to get heated. If there wasn’t children around, I am sure some words would have started to pop off since he was already trying so deeply hard not to. He eventually hopped into the Santa Fe train and went on the tour. I know that these people are volunteering their time, but at the same time children and families are around, so it should have waited until a more appropriate time or a place in private.

Would I visit the museum again?

Absolutely and despite the volunteers mishap, the museum is a great place for kids to view a bit of history, ride trains, and is a nice place to have a family picnic. The museum does have special events throughout the year and one of their most popular events is when Thomas the Train is running. Their next event is an Antique Truck show and that is happening on May 1st. Since this is an event, an admission price of $7 is required, or included with a purchase of an all day train and trolley pass for $12.

For more information about Orange Empire Railway Museum (OERM) please visit their site at: http://oerm.org

Pictures from our short trip:

Last Year (After this session):

1.) I sold my kit lens and bought (2) new lenses. 70-200mm f/2.8 L USM and 28-75mm f/2.8 to occupy my 50mm f/1.8.

2.) Purchased a tried and true studio strobe, and battery pack from Paul C Buff.

3.) Received a large umbrella, 60” Convertible.

4.) Received a large softbox made by Paul C Buff.

5.) Purchased Large Capacity, UDMA CF Cards (Lexar) and Lexar Memory Card Reader

6.) Spent extensive time learning about portraiture retouching.

7.) Spent a few days learning from professional photographers.

8.) Calibrated my monitors using industry standard calibration devices.

Last/This Month:

1.) Reevaluated my old TFCD contract and made considerable changes to it for a near future launch of a “Free Portrait” promotion. – Which is now online so that it can be viewed anytime by participants to know what they will be receiving and what they can do with the images.

2.) Launched a full line printing service: Learn more at: http://blog.charlesshowalter.com/2011/03/31/printing-information/ and http://blog.charlesshowalter.com/2011/03/29/out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new/

3) Spent more time learning about portraiture retouching.

4.) Reevaluated my portfolio, changes are going to be made.

5.) Continued discussions with professional photographers.

6.) Reevaluated that session using all the materials, techniques and software that I have learned since. What do you think?

Image Left: This is what they would have received at that time. (Original)         Image Right: This is what they would have received today.

This isn’t the end for my learning. I will always continue to learn, improve and build in my photography and printing services. I take extreme pride in both, and if coupled together, the results are nothing but outstanding. I have sold dozens of prints and several canvases and received nothing, but exceptional feedback.

What I hope that people get out of this blog post are that: Even though we don’t like to admit it mistakes do and can happen, if there are issues contact your photographer, there are other options than dissing people on social network sites, make sure to always thoroughly read a contract, I value all feedback so that I can improve, I am honest, and I take my work very seriously.

I am ready for my close-up!

Ooh, the neighbors dog is barking!

After getting my mess all cleaned up, my cousin decided that she wanted to pose for some photographs. I took all my gear back outside and we decided to try some new things. Although none of us was prepared for a photo session, I think we were able to capture some good results. Posing is not my strongest area so we decided to do some basic poses as well as some random shots.

Who needs shoes, it’s Spring….

Tonya’s thinking…. &…. She Decided she will go hug our tree!

Lets work with that a little bit…Perspective!

Tonya’s favorite thing is to Jam out to music as our final shoot. Since my battery was dying, I put on Airplanes by B.o.B and she started to Jam out. This shot had a sensible feeling to it.

After getting a fire roaring, it was time to take some images. I took several images as the moon moved throughout the night sky looking at various lighting and foreground subjects. The first image that I took was just the moon itself.

The second image, I took of the moon was it passing through some of the branches in our tree.

The last image that I took was of the neighbor’s tree. Although it doesn’t contain the moon, I thought it would still compliment this short blog post.

I’ve been to Morro Bay several times now and they have this post card labeled “Morro Bay at Night” and it just printed completely black. I decided to do my own version of this called “Embarcadero at Night.” This image was taken off of the balcony in our room, and the black and white makes this image sale.

The first night, I completely missed the sunset. I walked across the street a half-hour before sunset to watch the lighting and wait for the tones that I wanted. For the duration before and after sunset I continued to shoot the scene, but the lighting wasn’t what I wanted. It was being obstructed by the heavy clouds that day. Not to mention that the winds were strong and it made for a very cold night. The second night, I did happen to score some sunset images. I spent a lot of time during this trip photographing at sunset and at night, because it is an area that I want to improve in.

Have you ever tried to photograph wild birds at night? It’s difficult, but I got lucky and I found a seagull resting on a dock post with amazing light behind him. I walked right on him and setup my tripod, dialed in some settings, composed and took the shot. While taking this and several other shots, the people in the restaurant were watching my every move. I can hear their thoughts, “please don’t turn around and take our picture. Please oh please don’t.”

“Sally sells seashells by the seashore.” My dad pushed through a considerable amount of pain to make it down to the tide pools at Montaña de Oro State Park to hold some starfish. Unfortunately there wasn’t any. I looked through every tide pool in hopes to find one so that the trip wasn’t a complete waste. I didn’t find anything except for hundreds of hermit crabs and some sea urchins. We did find some shells though. I have no idea what type of marine life these shells are from.

When we started hiking Montaña de Oro is was crystal clear outside, but it quickly turned when we started to head back to our car. The fog outside became so thick that we couldn’t no longer see the car, nor could you see the water  from the edge of the cliff. It was amazing how quickly it rolled in. It did make for some interesting images later that evening.

That fog eventually worked its way into Morro Bay which is stayed through the entire night.  The fog did allow me to capture some illusion photography as well as make some pretty awesome backdrops for some images. The first image is one of Morro Rock which represents an illusion. The first reaction that I got and that others got from the image is that it looks like I was on a plane or a helicopter passing by Morro Rock. In fact, it was taken off of the balcony in our room using a 70-200mm zoom lens.

This next image is of the harbor and bay. I don’t know why I like this image, but I do. Our hotel is hidden among the fog

One of my favorite images.  While we were walking Embarcadero I wanted to go down to some of the docks. We came to the USCG and I wanted to check out some of their boats. Also at this dock is where the fishermen pick up their bait and the next thing we notice is that a harbor seal is yelling up a storm. Interested we decided to hang around a while and wait for him to come out. While waiting, one of the fisherman was done loading bait and started  to head out into the bay. Intrigued by the lighting in the water I was thinking, I hope he comes this way. It started to head the way I wanted him to go and I found an opening on the dock. I composed my shot and I waited for the right moment then bam! I took the image and got what I wanted. Come to find out, the opening I was taking the images from was his docking spot. It was cool watching his vessel head directly towards me.

With all the fog lingering around it still didn’t stop me from taking a sunset shot. During sunset the fog looked like a huge wave, as tall as Morro Rock, heading directly towards Morro Bay. It was very interesting and the light was so amazing that I could not pass up the opportunity.

Last but not least, we have our friends. We went though three bags of peanuts feeding the squirrels. They are very gentle in taking food from you and some of them will even sit on your lap and eat. Make sure to always thoroughly wash your hands before touching your mouth, eyes and eating after feeding any form of wild animals. Remember wild animals carry diseases.

I took one of my most selling images and gave it an entirely new feel and meaning, and from the feedback it’s a sure winner.

(See Original Image: http://blog.charlesshowalter.com/2010/11/29/morro-bay-california-2/)

The next set of images are newly processed, never before seen images from me. These images were taken back in May, 2010 at Nikki Evans Mock Wedding Workshop. (Details: http://blog.charlesshowalter.com/2010/05/23/mock-wedding/)

There are other activities that are within an hour driving distance that from the heart of Morro Bay. Museum of Natural History is only a couples minutes off of Embarcadero located through the golf course. You will also find that the Estuary isn’t far from the golf course as well as Montana De Oro State Park. Montana De Oro State Park has a beach, picnic tables, hiking, site seeing and tide pools were you can pick up starfish (Please educate everyone in your party about proper handling). Heading North back on the 1-Fwy you will find a small town called “Cambria.” I highly recommend everyone to stop there and eat at the Main Street Grill if you love smoked food; but make sure to bring cash because its all they except. Then continuing up north you will run into Hearst Castle which offers some amazing tours and make you wish you had an indoor pool like they do. Still continuing north you will run into an elephant seal reserve and during breeding season you can see thousands and thousands of them (I do have an image in an earlier post). Last, but not least on the north 1-Fwy you will run into Ragged Point Inn. Ragged Point Inn has some spectacular views, walking path and does have hiking. The hiking at Ragged Point Inn is at your own risk and I would rate the trail as high.

As you can see, it offers plenty of things to choose from. If you are like me, the fresh, clean oceanic air and views will make you a visitor for life, especially if you are into photography and wildlife.

Morro Rock & Harbor

Some other images I took around the house to try out some new stuff:

My Spoiled Brats: (Trinity Left, Cinnamon Right)

Early that morning I received a text message from my cousin asking if I would do a mini-session of her child in his raingear. I gave her some information regarding a time that would be best considering the amount of luck that I was having. When she got off of work she stopped by and we started discussing it. I figured since Aiden was already over, had all his raingear with him and the skies were looking amazing I decided lets go ahead and give it a shot. I mistakenly said “I haven’t had any luck today, every time I went outside with my gear it started to rain,” that wasn’t very smart. I hauled all my gear outside, got it setup and it started raining. Aiden was playing behind the shed, having a blast and didn’t want to come out. After a few minutes I got him to come out and stand where I wanted him. I took an exposure shot, readjusted my flash and before I got to compose the shot he started to take off, so I took a blind-fire shot and he said I’m done. Like a true celebrity. I didn’t get a chance to review the image, as I wanted to get all my gear inside and out of the rain. After I got my gear all cleaned up, I finally got a chance to review the image and I nailed it. Exposure was perfect and sharp. The composition wasn’t what I wanted, but who’s going to argue. I got the shot, which counts.

This video has apparently been out for a while, but I just recently stumbled upon it reading Chase Jarvis Blog. The mood, feel, visual effects and deep meaning is very compelling that I just have to share it with everyone. Hope you enjoy.

At the end of every trip I learn something new about photography, because the San Diego Zoo presents a lot more challenges then at the San Diego Safari Park. Some of the issues you will face at the San Diego Zoo are shooting through chain linked fences, metal enclosures, plexiglass, harsh lighting, and extreme shadows caused by the overhead canopy; oh yes and lets not forget to mention the workout that you will get with your camera gear. Today’s trip went especially well as I usually only get a few goods shots at the San Diego Zoo and today I come home with a lot more keepers. Now lets get right to those shots.

Let’s start with one of my favorite animals, the Meerkat. The second visit to the Meerkats the Keeper was our doing daily maintenance to the exhibit which was a treat for us. Normally at the Meerkat exhibit you have the one watcher and the rest are usually foraging and playing, but because the Keeper was there some of the Meerkats were “chillaxing.” (Picture Right)

Then we come to this next guy. He literally looked at me and smiled, I couldn’t believe it. He was posing for the camera.

My Great Cousin wanted to see some crocodiles, so we had to improvise and found an alligator. We tried to show him the alligator, but because he was blended in very well to a tree trunk my cousin wasn’t unable to see it. So I decided that I would take a picture of a “chomp, chomp” for him.

My Aunt loves otters, so we couldn’t leave the park without some images. I have always struggled to get pictures of these guys, but today they were very photogenic, which is a plus in my books.

The next photograph is of the baby cub and it’s mother. The baby cub is on the left and is currently in its own exhibit, being weaned off from it’s mother.

On with the rest of the photographs: