Photo of the Day - Sierra Clouds!

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 16:30:58 -0700

Early this morning, the clouds were great above my home. While I composed, a bird flew off of the big Ponderosa pine behind the house. Simple design with the pine adding an accent to the main subject - the clouds.

Enjoy the simple moment in time, Bill

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I am currently offering two BetterPhoto.com courses, starting on Wednesday July 1st.
Inspiring Nature Photography: The Essentials (four week course)
Portfolio Development Course (eight week course

Lines and Edges

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 09:38:27 -0700

This morning, I made this image in my studio using window light. My assistant John challenged me to make a new image for posting here, which is a good thing since I haven't photographed much lately. So I pulled out this stone I collected many years ago. As I photographed, I played with how the lines in the stone related to the image edge, rotating the stone for each frame.

I have been writing a lot of critiques lately for my BetterPhoto courses, and this has reminded me of the importance of how lines move through the frame. When you compose an image, look carefully to see the graphic forms of a subject or scene. Generally speaking, diagonal lines are more dynamic than those which are parallel to the frame's edge. Of course, some subjects like trees are naturally parallel and it would look odd to tilt them. I have included a second image to show how different the two photos are when the stone was rotated.

Let me know your thoughts on which one is best!

Cheers, Bill

I am currently offering two BetterPhoto.com courses. The four week course starts on Wednesday July 1st.
NEW! Inspiring Nature Photography: The Essentials (four week course)
Portfolio Development Course (eight week course

Waterfall Ripples

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:32:39 -0700

Yesterday afternoon, I finally made some new images. I didn’t have far to go. My backyard waterfall flows over this wonderful Yosemite slate, which is the source of color here. In the sunlight, the patterns form graphic little waves.

I think that it is very important to bracket your shutter speeds when photographing moving water. With all my experience, I am never sure what amount of blur will work best to me. Experimenting is the key to creative success!

Cheers, Bill

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EBOOKS NOW AVAILABLE!
Impressions of Light - Digital Edition
Landscapes of the Spirit - Digital Edition
Meditations in Monochrome - Digital Edition

Back up your backups...

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:22:02 -0700

I was reminded of the great importance of having backups. John was looking for this image above, but only found an empty folder. No master file, no sized files for printing. Couldn’t find it on any of my drives. I did find the files in my old tape library backup system, so I had them there if needed but the restore process is long and tedious. Fortunately, I had the original scan on both CD and RAID backup hard drive system. We resurrected the image with new layers and saved the new Master file. Whew!

And then yesterday, my computer froze with all the hard drives mounted. We didn’t lose any files but the mirrored drives were out of sync, so my Softraid software spent most of yesterday resyncing.

Advice: Backup! Make cds of all of your digital captures, at least on CD or DVD.

Useful links on the West Coast Imaging site about backups:
http://www.westcoastimaging.com/wci/page/info/photoshoptip/tip29.html
http://www.westcoastimaging.com/wci/page/info/photoshoptip/tip14.html

Here's info about what HD setup I use:
http://www.westcoastimaging.com/wci/page/info/photoshoptip/tip32.html
Each slot has a 1TB drive, and I have two of them!

I hope this is useful. Let me know!

Bill
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EBOOKS NOW AVAILABLE!
Impressions of Light - Digital Edition
Landscapes of the Spirit - Digital Edition
Meditations in Monochrome - Digital Edition

Twitter, Facebook and social networking...

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:45:53 -0700

I wish I had new images to share, but I don’t! Unusual for me. But I have been busy! Teaching BetterPhoto classes. John is redesign my web site. Looking fabulous... I am also writing captions for my next ebook, a collection of Yosemite images with extended captions and location info, including the Washburn Point image above.

My big project for the day was to extend my “social networking” so now I am on Twitter!

Twitter
Facebook

I am uncertain of the advantages, but seems worth a try!

Cheers, Bill

EBOOKS NOW AVAILABLE!
Impressions of Light - Digital Edition
Landscapes of the Spirit - Digital Edition
Meditations in Monochrome - Digital Edition

This Month’s Featured Print - Corn Lilies, Summit Meadow $40

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 09:46:08 -0700

For the month of June, I am offering a Special Edition "Mini" Print from my Meditations in Monochrome series. I'll be releasing one image at a time as a "Featured Print" which you will be able to purchase directly from me!

This month's Featured Print is "Corn Lilies, Summit Meadow, Yosemite National Park, California 2008" shown to the left.

This Special Edition image is an archival inkjet print, sized to 6" x 9" on Fine Art Heavyweight Paper, matted and mounted to 11"x14" on archival museum board. The print will be initialed by me, not signed. The series will be unlimited in quantity, but numbered sequentially on the label.

With each collectible Special Edition released, you can build a fine art portfolio of my photographs at a very reasonable cost. And the best part...it's only $40!

Visit my website for June’s Special Edition print.

Clouds, Sierra Nevada Mountains

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 10:38:42 -0700

Last Sunday, I saw these clouds from a parking lot in Oakhurst where I live. Fortunately, I had my camera. John and I worked on the file, trying both color and B&W, more contrast and less. Here is the version I like the best.

Enjoy! Bill

For more of my new B&W images, see:

Meditations in Monochrome- Digital Edition Photographs by William Neill Sadhna Press, 2009 Single Page, High Resolution PDF,  viewable with Adobe Reader.   $15.00 USD Available as Downloadable PDF. 58 pages, 52 Photographs

TWO OTHER EBOOKS AVAILABLE!
Impressions of Light - Digital Edition
Landscapes of the Spirit - Digital Edition

B&W, or Color? Part II

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 12:02:02 -0700

A couple of years ago, I planted a water lily in the small waterfall/pond feature on my back patio. The first flower opened last week! On Saturday, we had a little rain shower pass over us so I set up this image. The raindrops added so much. I like the color version, but I then we tried this B&W conversion. I am leaning toward the B&W version.

We had great feedback when I uploaded the Birch Bark images in B&W and color, so here we go again. Which one do you like best?

Cheers, Bill

I am currently offering two BetterPhoto.com courses. The four week course starts on Wednesday June 3.
NEW! Inspiring Nature Photography: The Essentials (four week course)
Portfolio Development Course (eight week course)

Seeds of Creativity

Sun, 31 May 2009 09:39:17 -0700

What do you do when you need to get your creative juices going?

I find myself gravitating to some the same subjects over the years. I have photographed salsify seeds often, and love the patterns of the seeds. On Friday evening I noticed some nice sunset clouds that would make a good backdrop. I made 265 images as the sun set and the clouds changed colors! I made many versions that were quite similar to past efforts, like this small one above. But I kept trying to think of a fresh composition. I decided to try a broader view, the top image above, and l found it was my favorite.

Let me know your thoughts!

Bill

I am currently offering two BetterPhoto.com courses. The four week course starts on Wednesday June 3.
NEW! Inspiring Nature Photography: The Essentials (four week course)
Portfolio Development Course (eight week course)

Lava revisited, New book by Lewis Kemper

Tue, 26 May 2009 15:48:59 -0700

Lewis Kemper and I have been close friends since 1979. He just came out with a new book that you all should check out. This is a beautiful collection by an excellent photographer! Here is some info about the book from Lewis.

The book is 80 pages and contains 68 images, plus 4 pages with technical information on each image. The images are interlaced with thoughtful quotes about Light. The images have all been taken in the last 4 years in his travels from Hawaii to Iceland! This beautiful mo link nograph is available in several formats. From the Deluxe Edition, bundled with a fine print, to a smaller paperbound version. To see the four formats and to get to see larger previews of several of the spreads in the book just click on this link.

Capturing the Light book by Lewis Kemper

Seeing Lewis’s lava image on the book cover reminds of my visit there in 1994, so I’ve included my favorite image. My Landscapes of the Spirit Digital Edition includes my notes about this image, and similar notes are included for all the photos in the book. You can download this ebook for only $15 here:
Landscapes of the Spirit
Plate 65: Lava flow entering the sea at twilight, Hawaii
Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii, 1994
The thrill of witnessing the raw beauty of creation
comes back to me every time I view my images
from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Waves
receded down the steep beach, then returned to
engulf the flowing lava. Standing on a small shelf
of hardened lava, I could feel the earth rumble
underneath me. A strong offshore wind forced me
to use a 35mm camera instead of my preferred 4x5
format. I used a moderate shutter speed of about a
quarter second to convey the dynamic motion of
this spectacle.

Iris Abstract

Fri, 22 May 2009 16:39:12 -0700

I made this Impressions image yesterday after work. I think it would look stunning at 40x60 on watercolor paper! Or on canvas!?

Also, I wanted to share with you a great resource for learning Photoshop. My friend Mark Johnson has just put out this ebook available from his web site. I have found it useful already, especially the searchable PDF format:
PHOTOGRAPHER’S PHOTOSHOP CS4 COMPANION COMPLETE EBOOK - CD VERSION
Have a great Memorial Day weekend,

Bill

Meditations in Monochrome- Digital Edition Photographs by William Neill Sadhna Press, 2009 Single Page, High Resolution PDF,  viewable with Adobe Reader.   $15.00 USD Available as Downloadable PDF. 58 pages, 52 Photographs

TWO OTHER EBOOKS AVAILABLE!
Impressions of Light - Digital Edition
Landscapes of the Spirit - Digital Edition

Variations on a theme

Fri, 15 May 2009 15:10:20 -0700

The other evening, I was thinking about what fresh take I could come up with for photographing the irises on my back patio. So I cut this one, put it in a vase, and set up this composition. I took about 10 different framing, but liked the mood of this one the best. Since I received so many comments when I posted the two Birch Bark images, one in color and the other in B&W, I thought I would share two HDR versions of this image to see what you think. Let me know!

The bottom image was processed once using Photomatix, and the top photo processed twice.

Cheers, Bill

Meditations in Monochrome- Digital Edition Photographs by William Neill Sadhna Press, 2009 Single Page, High Resolution PDF,  viewable with Adobe Reader.   $15.00 USD Available as Downloadable PDF. 58 pages, 52 Photographs

TWO OTHER EBOOKS AVAILABLE!
Impressions of Light - Digital Edition
Landscapes of the Spirit - Digital Edition

Tiger in India

Mon, 11 May 2009 14:18:25 -0700

Here is a tiger photo I made in India a few years back that I thought I would share with you all for a change of pace. It was April 2004, and at least 100 degrees! I had my tripod set up on a small, “open air” bus.

This image was included in an article on wildlife photography in India, just posted on the Canon Digital Learning website. Most of the images are from my visit to India last December and January.

India Sojourn - Part 3: Photographing Wildlife

Maybe I should make an ebook based on my India images...

Cheers,

Bill

Meditations in Monochrome- Digital Edition Photographs by William Neill Sadhna Press, 2009 Single Page, High Resolution PDF,  viewable with Adobe Reader.   $15.00 USD Available as Downloadable PDF. 58 pages, 52 Photographs

TWO OTHER EBOOKS AVAILABLE!
Impressions of Light - Digital Edition
Landscapes of the Spirit - Digital Edition

Featured Print - $40!

Thu, 7 May 2009 09:36:20 -0700

I'm happy to let you know that I'll now be offering Special Edition "Mini" Prints from my Impressions of Light series for only $40!. I'll be releasing one image at a time as the "Featured Print" which you will be able to purchase directly from me!

This month's Featured Print is "Dogwood Glowing, Yosemite National Park, California 2007".

This Special Edition image is printed to 6"x9" on Fine Art Watercolor Paper, matted and mounted to 11"x14" on archival museum board. The print will be initialed by me. The series will be unlimited in quantity, but numbered sequentially on the label.

Lupine Impressions, plus Jay Kinghorn’s Blog

Wed, 6 May 2009 15:08:20 -0700

Here is another of my “lupine explorations!” Pretty sharp for 15 seconds ;-)!

Here is a blog written by my friend Jay Kinghorn. Of course, I especially enjoyed his comments about my new ebook, Meditations in Monochrome here: Jay Kinghorn’s Blog! Thanks for the kind words, Jay!

“Every once in a great while, I come across a photographic portfolio so compelling that the to-do lists and the unanswered emails drift away and are replaced with a deep satisfaction for doing nothing more than being absorbed by the photos at hand. This afternoon was one of those occasions.
William Neill’s new book Meditations In Monochrome is a stunning portfolio of black and white landscape and nature images shot primarily in the American West, from Utah to California. Each photo reveals a deep appreciation for light and the landscape.
These are the photos all landscape photographers aspire to create, but few will ever can achieve this clarity of vision and mastery of craft. From the luminous textures of the Fallen Mango Leaves in Hawaii to the radiant sand dunes in death Valley, Bill has a unique talent for taking you away from the mundane and transporting you through brilliant highlights of the American landscape.
Meditations in Monochrome is available as a high resolution E-book at http://www.williamneill.com/books/meditations.html for $15.”
And here is a link to his digital photography book: Perfect Digital Photography