Thursday, June 27, 2013

It's the Perfect Time to Buy onOne Software!



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Thoughtful Thursday Photography Quote: June 27, 2013

After our 2nd year in a row to try and capture one of our favorite locations in the Black Hills during the spring blooms, we didn't quite get the photograph we wanted yet.  Guess we are going on three years!

We don't give up, because we know when we do finally capture the image that is in our head through the lens of the camera; our heart and soul will show through as well.  Today's message - take your time.  Get it right.  It will show.

Photography Quote by Ruth Bernard: No such thing as too much time... on www.seeyoubehindthelens.com via Dakota Visions Photography LLC


Join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ , Twitter, or sneak a peek at our photography on Dakota Visions Photography, LLC. Until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

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by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Thoughtful Thursday Photography Quote: June 20, 2013

As if the Adobe Creative Cloud argument wasn't enough, I'm stepping into one of my deranged rants again.  So buckle up and enjoy the ride...

Manipulation of photography has been around for years, and years.  Ansel Adams dodged and burned his images along with the use of various filters.  And remember, his photographs were in black & white to begin with - isn't that by true definition, a manipulation of reality?

As my mother always used to say, "When junk goes in, nothing but junk comes out."  It is the same with photography.  No matter how well you use a piece of imaging software, like Adobe Photoshop, if it's crap going in - it will be crap coming out.   You can't take a fresh bison chip, roll it in sliced apple chunks, and call it an "apple fritter"!  (Yeah, sorry about that visual.  Just working on some bison photographs...)

Photography Quote: Photoshop is not a verb. It is a noun. - Vincent Versace on www.seeyoubehindthelens.com by Dakota Visions Photography LLC

99% of professional photographs own either Adobe Photoshop or some sort of photo image processing software.  There are those that create imaginary worlds in Adobe Photoshop, but for the most part do not refer to them as actual.

I will continue to crop, dodge, burn, adjust contrast and levels, create the appearance of using actual varietals of film, and most importantly do what is needed to prepare an image for print or digital transmission.  In fact, I may even do a composite every now and then, but I will take with great responsibility the onus to let the public know when I do.  Even more, I will continue to experiment with new software technologies as they come out so that when it comes to my digital photographs, I will be prepared to create the most realistic interpretation of pixels as possible.

That is my personal belief and stance.  Use what you can, but be honest with people about it.  Let them know what you are doing and tell them with integrity and honesty.  If you are using a $49.00 piece of software, great - learn it and use it well.  But don't fling bison chips at the folks that are using $499 software well.  And the best time to process an image:  before you snap the shutter.  Don't think you can just "Photoshop" that away!

What is your stance on the matter?  Leave a comment below and let us know.  (And yes, be civil about it.)  And while you are at it, join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ , Twitter, or sneak a peek at our photography on Dakota Visions Photography, LLC. Until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

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by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Sometimes you feel like a nut... Psychedelic Tulip in the Wind

Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't...

Sorry, I know you'll be singing that all day now, but it kind of fits my mood.  Was just playing around a bit with the Topaz set of plug-ins along with our favorite onOne Software plug-ins during post-processing of this tulip photograph.

Yes - we may have crossed some boundaries.  OK, enough already - WE RAN OVER THEM WITH A 2-TON TRUCK!  

Is it a painting?  Is it life imitating art?  Or art imitating life?  We just felt like a nice sunny day picture in a psychedelic sort of way.  We hope you enjoy - "Psychedelic Tulip in the Wind".

Psychedelic Tulip in the Wind: On www.seeyoubehindthelens.com by Dakota Visions Photography LLC

And just to see what is making up those "worm like" shapes in the background, here is the side-by-side comparison.

Side by Side Comparison of Psychedelic Tulip in the Wind: Dakota Visions Photography LLC on www.seeyoubehindthelens.com


Join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ , Twitter, or sneak a peek at our photography on Dakota Visions Photography, LLC. Until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

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by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Thoughtful Thursday Photography Quote: June 13, 2013

"Taking pictures is savoring life intensely every hundredth of a second." - Mark Riboud
Mark Riboud was born in 1923.  During WWII it was believed he was active in the French Resistance.  After the war, he worked in the Lyon factories. After he took a week-long picture-taking vacation, he was inspired to become a photographer.  He moved to Paris where he met Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, and David Seymour, the founders of Magnum Photos, and by 1953 he was initiated as a member of the organization.  Even in his early years, his ability to capture fleeting moments in life through powerful compositions was apparent.  This skill served him well for the following decades.

Savoring life intensely every hundredth of a second quote by Mark Riboud: On www.seeyoubehindthelens.com by Dakota Visions Photography LLC

Join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ , Twitter, or sneak a peek at our photography on Dakota Visions Photography, LLC. Until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

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by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Why Does Photography Cost So Much? The $9,000.00 Answer

There are many of these stories published online, so we'll spare you the endless dribble.  Why does photography cost so much?  Because if you are going to do it right, you need to buy the right equipment and software.

We aren't even going to count in the cost of design work, basic business expenses, or labor costs - just a plain Jane, basic photography set up for a landscape/wildlife photographer that may do some portrait work with two base cameras to keep it on budget.  We also are not including Adobe Creative Cloud in this basic photography bundle to due the recent debacle, so don't get us going on that one.

So let's get started...  If we were to start out fresh and build a semi-pro camera setup, here is what we would purchase.  Note: This isn't from some list on the internet that we lazily copied.  This is what we carry in our photography bags and shoot with ourselves.  While we didn't list some of our high-end equipment, we would choose these products to work at the highest levels of efficiency, quality, and budget-friendly prices.  Most links are to the Amazon store where we are an affiliate (and keep this site going because we spend all of our money on the gear below).

As of June 1, 2013 prices, this basic landscape/wildlife semi-pro photography equipment setup is worth approximately $9,000.00.

Camera Bodies:
Canon EOS 6D 20.2 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
Canon EOS REBEL T4i 18.0 MP CMOS Digital Camera (Body Only)

Lenses & Filters:
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Telephoto Zoom Lens
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens
B+W 52mm Clear UV Haze with Multi-Resistant Coating (010M)
B+W 77mm Clear UV Haze with Multi-Resistant Coating (010M)
B+W 67mm Clear UV Haze with Multi-Resistant Coating (010M)

Software:
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4
Photomatix Pro 4
onOne Software Perfect Photo Suite Bundle
Nik Software Bundle

Basic Accessories:
Canon Professional Gadget Bag 1EG
Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash
Fotodiox 6"x8" Softbox for Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flashe
Davis & Sanford MAGNUMXG13 Magnum Grounder Tripod with FX13 Head
SanDisk Extreme Pro 16 GB SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 Flash Memory Card 95MB/s
LensPen New DSLR Pro Camera Cleaning Kit

And the list could easily go on and on.  Say, by the way, when is the last time you looked in your camera bag to figure out how much gear you are carrying around?  Do you have enough insurance on your gear?  Better call your insurance agent today.

Leave us a comment below, and let us know if you would trade out any of this gear for something else.  We would love to hear what you think a basic semi-pro setup looks like.  If you have a similar post, leave a link in the comments, and we'll check it out.

Join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ , Twitter, or sneak a peek at our photography on Dakota Visions Photography, LLC. Until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

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by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Top 7 Most Viewed Photos of 2013 - So Far...

After spending time doing our weekly checkup of the Dakota Visions Photography website, we felt it was time to share what the most viewed photographs for 2013 are, so far.  We hope you enjoy and continue to check out the galleries.  And of course, continue to purchase prints!

7.  SLEEPING BEAUTY

Sleeping Beauty (Badlands of SD) on www.dakotavisions.com - Top 7 Most Viewed Photos of 2013

6.  2011 CUSTER STATE PARK BUFFALO ROUNDUP - 1

2011 Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup - 1 on www.dakotavisions.com - Top 7 Most Viewed Photos of 2013

5.  LITTLE SPEARFISH FALLS IN AUTUMN

Little Spearfish Falls in Autumn on www.dakotavisions.com - Top 7 Most Viewed Photos of 2013

4.  WHEN MOTHER NATURE SPEAKS...

When Mother Nature Speaks... on www.dakotavisions.com - Top 7 Most Viewed Photos of 2013

3.  SUNRISE AT SYLVAN LAKE

Sunrise at Sylvan Lake on www.dakotavisions.com - Top 7 Most Viewed Photos of 2013

2.  SUNSET AT NEEDLES HIGHWAY

Sunset on Needles Highway on www.dakotavisions.com: Top 7 Most Viewed Photos of 2013

1.  '57 CHEVY BEL AIR

'57 Chevy Bel Air on www.dakotavisions.com - Top 7 Most Viewed Photos of 2013

And while you are at it, join us on FacebookPinterestGoogle+ , or Twitter.  We appreciate your continued support, and until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

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by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Thoughtful Thursday Photography Quote: June 6, 2013

"Don't define your world in black & white because there is so much hiding amongst the greys." - Author Unknown
What else do you have to say?  Life is not always black & white, and neither is photography.  The world is lived in the saturated colors, the vivid hues, and the so many shades of grey.

Sometimes we limit our life to two paths or two answers: right or wrong.  Don't define who you are in black & white, reach out for reality in the greys.



Join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ , Twitter, or sneak a peek at our photography on Dakota Visions Photography, LLC. Until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

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by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 - Now Available!

onOne Software, Inc® has announced the availability of Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 for Adobe® Photoshop®, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Apple® Aperture®, and as a standalone application.

The update includes a new Quick View Browser, refinements to the Perfect Brush, tested compatibility with the upcoming Lightroom 5, performance improvements, and general bug fixes. Also included are tools that tackle problems commonly encountered in photo editing—Red Eye reduction tools and a Clone Brush that removes distractions.

The updates in Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 include:

  • Quick View Browser: The Quick View Browser gives users the ability to see all of their images, effects or presets in a full-screen gallery. In Perfect Layers, it makes it easy to browse image folders and quickly navigate through images. In Perfect Effects and Perfect B&W, the Quick View Browser showcases effects or preset categories on an image at one time, making it easy to compare and select amongst them.
  • Perfect Brush Improvements: Refinements have been made to the Perfect Brush to give users even more control. Previously, the Perfect Brush only allowed for continuous sampling of colors under the center of the brush while performing edge-detecting masking. Now, it can lock on a sampled color while masking, which is helpful when brushing through complex areas such as branches and window panes. 
  • Red Eye Reduction Tools: Two solutions for red eye reduction are available in Perfect Photo Suite 7.5. In Perfect Portrait, red eye reduction is built into the automatic face detection feature. In Perfect Layers, the Red Eye tool is available as a brush, which can be dabbed to remove red eyes caused by flash photography. 
  • Clone Brush: The Clone Brush quickly and effectively removes distractions in photos, such as power lines or people. The brush feather and opacity may be adjusted, and any shape or object may simply be painted over.

With continued support for Aperture 2.1 and 3, Photoshop CS6, CS5 and CS4, Lightroom 4, 3, 2 and the upcoming Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CC, Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 includes:

  • Perfect Effects 4 extends the creative power offered by the popular PhotoTools and provides even more ways to create images with impact. Perfect Effects 4 delivers an extended library of professional photographic effects, frames and edges accessible from a flexible browser with keyword search functionality and Favorites selection. Blending modes and paint-in brush effects offer even more creative options for how effects are combined and applied.
  • Perfect B&W helps photographers develop stunning black and white images quickly and easily. It includes powerful and intuitive tools that add dramatic, elegant, and classic black and white looks to images instantly and offers users complete creative control to reproduce time-honored black and white processing techniques.
  • Perfect Portrait 2 offers simply power portrait retouching, with automated feature detection and enhancement tools to smooth skin, remove blemishes, brighten eyes and teeth, and correct skin color. Fast processing speeds also allow photographers to retouch images quickly for simply stunning portraits.
  • Perfect Layers 3 gives photographers the ability to combine images and extend their image editing options in a layered file workflow without Photoshop. Users can create and edit multi-layered files with Perfect Layers directly from Lightroom, Aperture or as a standalone application. Also included are blending modes, textures, borders, PNG file support, and the powerful edge-detecting Perfect Brush.
  • Perfect Resize 7.5 is the industry standard for image enlargement. It is renowned across the photographic and printing industries for its ability to increase image size well over 1000% without the loss of sharpness or detail that is normally expected. Proven Genuine Fractals® technology has been applied to algorithms that optimize the clarity and detail of different image types, including mobile snapshots.
  • Perfect Mask 5.2 creates high quality masks quickly and easily with automated functionality and powerful tools that make selecting subjects and isolating backgrounds for removal extraordinarily accurate. 
  • FocalPoint 2 allows photographers to put the focus where they want after the shot. It’s the best way to add the most realistic depth of field and selective focus control to any image after it is photographed. Choose from a selection of lens presets to produce specific bokeh or adjust the amount and kind of blur you want.

Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 is now available from onOne Software. Existing owners of Perfect Photo Suite 7.x are eligible for the update at no additional cost.  For a limited time, new users may purchase the Premium Edition for $199.95 (Reg. price $249.95) or the version for Lightroom & Aperture for $99.95 (Reg. price $149.95). The Standard Edition, which only works as a standalone, is available for $79.95. Owners of previous versions of Perfect Photo Suite can upgrade to the Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 Premium Edition for $99.95 (Reg. price $149.95) or the Lightroom & Aperture Edition for $69.95 (Reg. price $79.95).

The free update for existing Perfect Photo Suite 7.x owners may be downloaded from www.ononesoftware.com/support/suite7. Owners must make sure they are downloading the correct update for the edition they own. There are separate update installers for Perfect Photo Suite 7 Premium Edition, Perfect Photo Suite 7 for Lightroom & Aperture, and Perfect Photo Suite Standard Edition.

We've downloaded our version and encourage you to either upgrade or buy your copy today.  We'll be providing our own review and examples of photography edited in Perfect Photo Suite 7.5 soon!  Stay tuned!  It's a great day to be associated with onOne Software and own Perfect Photo Suite!

Join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ , Twitter, or sneak a peek at our photography on Dakota Visions Photography, LLC. Until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

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Source: onOne Software Press Release on June 4, 2013
by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Design Dimensions for Photo Sizes on All Major Social Media Platforms [Infographic]

Like all business owners who are serious about creating a consistent brand design across many social media platforms, we have become frustrated with the ever changing design dimensions on the major sites.  In a perfect world, social media headers, cover photos, and shared images would be the same size so we could easily share images across platforms without having to create separate files for each social channel.

That not being the case, we have come across "The Ridiculously Exhaustive Social Media Design Blueprint"  put together by the folks at Social Media Design Dimensions.  Bookmark, share, Pin, print, link or embed it on your own blog with our social share buttons below this social-graphic.  Whatever you do - just keep it within easy reach so you can refer to it whenever you need it.  You won't regret it.

We hope this infographic helps you brand your business online appropriately in the social media world with one of the most useful social-graphics we have seen.

If you are having trouble viewing this on mobile media, Tent Social has hosted the PDF of this on their site here.

While you are at it, join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ , Twitter, or sneak a peek at our photography on Dakota Visions Photography, LLC. Until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

Social Media Design Dimensions - An infographic by the team at Social Media Design Dimensions

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by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Dakota Spring Fling 2013 Car Show

Dakota Spring Fling 2013 is an event in the Black Hills of South Dakota that is open to participants with cars and bikes of model year 1980 and older.  They can be in mint condition or a work in progress.  One of our favorites from the show is below.

Leave a comment below if you know what the make/model of this one is?!

Dakota Spring Fling 2013 Car Show: Photograph of Antique Car - Leave a Comment if you know the Make/Model: Dakota Visions Photography LLC


Join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Google+ , Twitter, or sneak a peek at our photography on Dakota Visions Photography, LLC. Until next time, we'll see you behind the lens...

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by Richard S - Dakota Visions Photography, LLC