It was hard to find these photos on Flickr.  Mostly what I found were photos of young emo types posing in stairwells with their heads in their laps, girls writing depressing stuff on their arms and/or putting pieces of paper over their mouths with handwritten words like “silenced”.  Original.  I had to stop the search before losing my mind due to the sheer repetition.  So, instead of 20 photos as usual, you get 10.

Enjoy?

Hong Kong Day #1 by Jonathan Kos-Read, on Flickr

Craziness in my heart makes me wonder why love is blind when I can see everything I by bye bye オモイデ, on Flickr

Dreich by deboraborialis, on Flickr

Plough Your Own Furrow by dougchinnery.com, on Flickr

In The Wake Of Alzheimer’s by Mark L Edwards, on Flickr

Lost For Words (Day 262) by jimnomad, on Flickr

the Sadness by Michael Sheets, on Flickr

Ladri di bicicletas by José m_brito, on Flickr

sad fruit seller by glennbat, on Flickr

Love In A Cold Climate, Windsor by flatworldsedge, on Flickr

A young stranger: Quebec Rainbow gathering 2009: Gäya 7 years old by Benoit.P, on Flickr

La réalité est lente, changé de direction by Benoit.P, on Flickr

Untitled by maneeacc, on Flickr

Joel by Joel Bedford, on Flickr

ashlin, february 2008 by † mexico rosel †, on Flickr

floating freckles by Traciѐ, on Flickr

shoulder constellations by rockie nolan, on Flickr

soft, with my sun by † mexico rosel †, on Flickr

alfred e. newman by clinton grobler, on Flickr

gina by Emily Tebbetts, on Flickr

La réalité est lente, changé de direction by Benoit.P, on Flickr

All that glitters. by Rebecca Tabor Armstrong, on Flickr

grazie. by MuraGlia g., on Flickr

Untitled by Mike Bailey-Gates, on Flickr

lilly’s dream by mariehochhaus, on Flickr

100 days of summer- day 1 by Emily Tebbetts, on Flickr

E ci sei Tu.. by Al di sopra di Tutto, on Flickr

Cousin by MADEFINE_!, on Flickr

Untitled by kimberly-jane, on Flickr

she grows towards the sunlight by schaharazad, on Flickr

Download Lightroom 4 Trial

How to Install Lightroom Presets

Your first step is to open Lightroom and make sure you are in the “Develop” module as shown here.  You can click on any of the images in this post to view them larger:

Open Lightroom Screenshot

Next, right-click on “User Presets” and choose “Import” as shown here:

Right Click User Presets

Migrate to wherever you have saved the presets that you would like to install and select them.  Then click “Open”.  Here is a screenshot:

Browse and Then Select Presets

The presets will now be installed and will be visible on the left side of the screen under user presets.  You will notice that Lightroom has automatically applied one of them to the image.  However, you can simply click the “Reset” button on the lower right side of the screen if it is not the preset you wanted to use right then.

Presets Installed in Lightroom

How to Create and Export Lightroom Presets

Now that you know how to import and install Lightroom presets, let’s go over how to make your own.  First, make sure you are still in the “Develop” module.  This is the photo I am going to be working on prior to making any adjustments.  Although I like it as-is, I’m going to make some adjustments to lighten up the shadows and then save my settings as a preset.

Before Settings Applied

Here is the split-screen option in Lightroom showing before and after settings applied.  I’ve lightened up the shadows just a bit but still kept the strongly backlit look.

Settings Ready to Save as Preset

Now, since I want to be able to easily apply these same settings to future images, I’m going to create and then export a preset.  First, click on the small plus sign on the top of the presets menu (left side of screen while still in the “Develop” module).

Make New Preset Button

A window will pop up titled “New Develop Preset”.  Type in a name for your preset and select a folder (you can create a new folder in the drop-down if desired) to place the preset in.  If there are any current settings that you want turned off completely for your new preset then uncheck the boxes.  Otherwise, click the “Create” button.

Now the saved preset will appear in the Presets menu within the folder that I chose as seen here:

Preset Appears in Menu

If you want to export the preset and save it outside of Lightroom on your computer, right-click on the preset and then choose “Export”.

You can then browse to where you would like to save the preset on your computer, fill in the file name and click save.  Being able to export presets is great if you end up with so many of them in your menu that organization becomes difficult.  It’s also necessary if you want to make presets to give away or sell professionally.

Name and Save Preset

Updating Lightroom Presets

If you later decide that you aren’t quite happy with the preset you originally created, you can always update it.  First, apply the preset to a photo and tweak the settings until you are happy with them.  You can then right click on the preset and choose “Update with Current Settings”.  Now when you use your preset it will apply the new settings to your photos.  Remember, if you have previously exported the preset you will need to do this again you want the exported version to reflect the changes you just made.

Update with Current Settings

Enjoy these 20 photos of genuine happiness.

Joy by gunnisal, on Flickr

Happiness by An Gobán Saor, on Flickr

Joy! by luvi, on Flickr

Happiness by Tony LI38, on Flickr

joy by susanne anette, on Flickr

JOY by André Pipa, on Flickr

joy by Asli Kodan, on Flickr

joy unlimited by Aravindan Rajaram, on Flickr

Jazz vs Joy … part 1 / 4 >> by Wicked posse, on Flickr

anticipate joy by demandaj, on Flickr

Joy by Aleksandar Shavikin, on Flickr

She came and bestowed Joy [..Dhaka, Bangladesh..] by Catch the dream, on Flickr

Happiness is Fleeting, but Joy is Forever by Aaron Eakin, on Flickr

Joy by remuz [Jack The Ripper], on Flickr

Happiness is … by Terence Pang Photography, on Flickr

Happiness by alesai_77, on Flickr

Happiness by NickyHighlander, on Flickr

Meaning of Happiness by Rezwan Razzaq, on Flickr

Happiness by Foto Jazz Creations, on Flickr

Happiness. by Magdalena Sobkowiak, on Flickr

Just Dreaming by Ben Heine, on Flickr

Telephone by Ben Heine, on Flickr

The Winds Of Change (Storms Of Your Life) by Tomasito.!, on Flickr

Dream by Filippo Venturi, on Flickr

DREAM WITHIN A DREAM by AJ. LLORENS, on Flickr

Hallway by sickmonk, on Flickr

Dreams by nemoegero, on Flickr

Dream Walkway by rbsuperb, on Flickr

Dream Collector by Ms Ladyred, on Flickr

Oz by chantel beam photography, on Flickr

dissolving by p_ree, on Flickr

Lost by Der Vorleser, on Flickr

dream field by Dyrk.Wyst, on Flickr

Curtain Room by Rachael Towne, on Flickr

Curtain Room by Rachael Towne, on Flickr

Over the mountains and the sea…..:) by Katarina 2353, on Flickr

Shadows by Shannon_Taylor, on Flickr

Crawling into bed with me. by Raven Yeh, on Flickr

Scream by Pink Sherbet Photography, on Flickr

The open Gate by h.koppdelaney, on Flickr

Master night by “Elox”, on Flickr

Subconscious exploration by “Elox”, on Flickr

. Night Train : Subsconscious Orchestrations Of Fate . by 3amfromkyoto, on Flickr

the chase. by Lanny Healey, on Flickr

The Lost Hallway by Anh Tu Nguyen Photography, on Flickr

April 12th 2010 | Day 8 by ACHildebrand, on Flickr

Adobe Cloud – Ideal for Students and Pros on a Budget

So, why didn’t I just purchase the upgrades rather than a cloud subscription?  Well, it turns out that you can’t actually upgrade the student/teacher editions of Adobe products.  They expect you to start from scratch and purchase the full version if you want to upgrade!  For practical as well as financial reasons this just seemed like a bad idea.  First off, I just didn’t have $700 lying around to purchase new software.  How many of us do really?  I mean, if CS5 and Lightroom 3 were working just fine why would I want to do that anyway?

I think Adobe has done a really smart thing with its new cloud service.  They have a huge monopoly on the market and rightfully so.  Their products are simply amazing.  I literally can’t imagine not having Photoshop and Lightroom in my life!  Adobe Illustrator has also been a useful tool from time to time when I’ve designed high-res ads and banners with text.  Since I will be a full-time design student starting in the fall, having access to Illustrator and I’m sure Dreamweaver will become very important.

Access to 40 Adobe Products

If you opt for the full membership to the cloud, here is what you see when you sign in.  Yes, you can download and use each and every one of these programs with your membership!

Adobe Cloud Screenshot

For someone who wants or needs to use a recent version of a single Adobe app, or needs to use multiple apps, the creative cloud is most definitely worth it.  I love that Adobe has finally realized that not everyone who is purchasing their software is wealthy and/or in need of their software for professional reasons.  Also, having access to their amazing video and sound editing apps such as After Effects, Premier Pro and Audition means that I can try out a new hobby or two or three and start out using the best tools available!

Photography Apps in the Adobe Cloud

Now back to the newest versions of Photoshop and Lightroom.  I honestly didn’t think that either of them could be improved upon.  However, I was wrong.  For those who are using older versions of Photoshop and Lightroom who have no desire to upgrade, I understand.  In fact, if you have no need of the extra features in CS6 and Lightroom 4 and don’t need to “keep up” professionally, there really is no reason to upgrade.  For myself, continuing to use CS5 and Lightroom 3 would not have been a tragedy at all.  As I already stated, they were meeting my needs just fine.

However, there is something about knowing that you have the latest and greatest tools at your disposal.  Also, there are in fact some additional features in the newest versions for both programs.  You can read more about the newest features here:

Lightroom 4 New Features

Photoshop CS6 New Features

One of my favorite features in the newest Photoshop version is being able to easily pick my background colors.  I prefer to use the light gray most of the time, but it has been nice to view my work against a dark gray as well since the portfolio I’m putting together is a dark gray.  Here are screenshots of the four-color choices with one of my recent designs used as an example:

Lightest Gray CS6 Interface

Light Gray CS6 Interface

Dark Gray CS6 Interface

Darkest Gray CS6 Interface

I also really love the new blur tools in CS6 and find myself using them on almost every “creative” image that I work on.  Here is a screen-shot of the interface:

Blur Tool New in CS6

Lightroom 4 has some new features that I really enjoy as well.  First, there is now extended video support.  It has been a ton of fun applying presets and adjustments to entire videos!  Secondly, you can now easily create photo books and upload them to Blurb straight from Lightroom.  Also, the image enhancing controls have been improved and updated.  If you are worried about losing the ability to use purchased presets for Lightroom 3, there are easy instructions for converting them in Lightroom 4, which can be found on the Adobe website.

Is Adobe Creative Cloud Worth It?

A resounding yes in my opinion!

If you are a student or teacher you can get a rather huge discount.  Also, if you already own a license to a CS product or if you are renewing your yearly cloud membership you will get a discount.

I hope you enjoy your Adobe Creative Cloud membership if you do decide to opt-in.  You can always download trial versions of any of their software and decide after giving the newest versions a try as well.

I hope you enjoy looking at this collection of 115 Cardinals as much as I enjoyed collecting them from Flickr!

Past Photographic Processes

Camera Obscura – Pinhole

The first known camera, the pinhole camera, was invented around 1000 AD.  It was called the Camera Obscura and was invented by a Muslim scientist named Alhazen (Ibn Al-Haytham).  Amazingly, the Camera Obscura was used mainly for drawing purposes until 1827, when the first photographic print was made by Joseph Nicephore Niepce.  These first prints, called “sun prints”, required 8 hours of exposure to appear before they slowly faded away.

Camera Obscura

Camera Obscura

To this day, despite the wide availability of cheap digital cameras, pinhole cameras are still made by curious and experimental photographers.  Also, with the resurgence of vintage photography, there are some commercially available pinhole type cameras available.  Lomography.com has some interesting selections, but you can easily make a pinhole camera at home.  Here is a helpful article called 23 Pinhole Cameras That You Can Build At Home.

Modern Pinhole Experiment

Modern Pinhole

Pinhole

Daguerreotype

In 1839 Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre took the exposure time down from 8 hours to around 20 minutes, and managed to invent a process that prevented the resulting image from fading.  Millions of daguerreotypes were to be made in the next few years documenting nearly every aspect of life.  While not readily accessible to everybody yet, photography was becoming a normal part of life.  Portrait studios began to spring up.

Daguerreotype

Older Woman with a Large Book, 6th-Plate Daguerreotype, Circa 1846, Detail

Daguerreotype

Daguerreotype

Daguerreotype

Calotype

Henry Fox Talbot, a contemporary of Daguerre, invented the first negative from which multiple positive prints were made.  This process involved sensitizing paper to light with a salt solution and then exposing the paper to light.  This resulted in a grayscale negative image from which positive prints could be made.

Calotype

Tintypes

The tintype, also called the melainotype or ferrotype was invented by Adolphe-Alexandre Martin, a french photographer, in 1853.  However, the process was actually patented by Hamilton Smith and William Kloen in the United States in 1856.

Tintype

Tintype photographers typically worked outside at fairs, carnivals and on the street.  The materials used in the tintype process were much less expensive than those used in previous photographic processes. Also, a photographer could produce a photo in only a few minutes, exposure and developing time included.  Photographic processes up till this point took significantly longer.

Tintype

Tintype

Tintype

Collodion Process or Wet Plate Negative

Frederic Scott Archer invented the Collodian process, or wet plate negative, in 1851.  By the end of the 1850s it had almost entirely replaced the daguerreotype and remained the dominant photographic process until the 1880s, when it was largely replaced by gelatin dry plates.

Wet Plate Camera

Theodore Roosevelt Collodion

The wet plates had to be quickly developed before the emulsion dried, so photographers had to carry along not only their camera gear and glass plates but also a portable darkroom.

Collodion Process

Dry Plate Negatives

Eastman Kodak invented the dry plate method in 1879, which was a substantial improvement over existing wet plate methods already in existence.  Many of the issues involved in the wet plate process, such as longer exposure times, having to lug mobile darkrooms into the field and having to work quickly before the emulsified dried on the glass were all solved.

Antique dry plate Kodak camera

The prints that resulted from the dry plate process lasted longer and were of better quality as well.  

Flexible Roll Film

George Eastman advanced photography yet again with the invention of flexible roll film and the hand-held camera in 1889.

“Pull a String”

Kodak Film

Color Film

Early Color Photo

Early attempts at color photography were dissapointing.  In the 1840s experiments which were focused on finding a substance or process that would assume the color of the light hitting it were mostly failures.  Although there was some minimal success, the very dim and faded image coupled with extremely long exposures (sometimes days) eventually halted further research in this direction.

Kodachrome

Early Color Photo

Kodachrome came on the market in 1935 and in the early 1940s other color films began to flood the market.  However, color film would remain significantly more expensive as well as harder to use until the 60s.  By 1970, most families were using color film for casual snap-shots.  By the 80s, black and white film had nearly disappeared from use by the average casual photographer but was still in use by pros who did their own darkroom processing.

Agfacolor

Faded Agfacolor 1970s

Autochrome Lumière

Ektachrome