We also have our 2011 Pender Islands wall calendar highlighting the scenery and views of North and South Pender Island.

Our Gulf Islands books are obtainable through Amazon.com at www.gulfislandsguide.com/gulf-islands-books.

We are featuring an assortment of more than 10,000 2011 wall and desk calendars through our affiliation with Calendars.com at www.gulfislandsguide.com/calendars. A few Gulf Island calendars and Pender Island calendars will be available in the next couple months. I’m hoping to have a calendar for Salt Spring Island available as well.

Our poster selection is courtesy of AllPosters.com, the planet’s largest online poster retailer. The posters are available at
www.gulfislandsguide.com/travel-posters. A few of my Gulf Islands posters are available through Artist Rising at http://www.artistrising.com with more on the way in the next couple of weeks.

The 123 of Digital Imaging interactive learning suite

The 123di interactive learning suite was first developed in 2001 by Vincent Bockaert to bring up to date photography information to both amateur and professional photographers in an interactive format. Here we are almost a decade later and the 123 of digital imaging is as up to date as ever, something not easily accomplished in the fast paced digital photography world. This is the beauty of the product, and shows the true dedication that Vincent and his crew have in keeping this amazing product up to date. No wonder the imaging suite is popular with schools and government bodies such as police departments and the Armed Forces. As well, many of the industry’s top manufacturers such as Intel, Nikon, Epson and others use 123di for internal training. High praise indeed!

I purchased my first copy of 123di (version 2) about 6 years ago, moved up to version 4 a few years back and just recently updated to their most recent release, version 6.2. Digital imaging has changed incredibly in this short period of time and while I found these earlier versions to be very well done I felt it was time to see what Vincent and his crew were up to with the latest version of 123di. I purchased the latest version a few weeks ago, here’s a quick review.

The unique aspect about the 123 of Digital Imaging is that it’s an ebook with so much more than what most of them give us. Beautiful illustrations combined with animated sequences and an interactive interface make the product a true joy to browse through whether you are a beginner photographer or a professional. Over 5,500 pages cover topics ranging from understanding digital imagery (light, sensors and more) to lens and camera selection, exposure, composition and image editing. An extensive section on RAW editing is available for advanced users and I would recommend even for the novice to explore. One unique concept is 3 levels of learning; starter, essential and advanced. This makes it possible to select a topic and work your way through the information based on your knowledge at the time, proceeding to more advanced techniques as you feel more comfortable.

View the entire table of contents.

The 123 of Digital Imaging

While the 123 of Digital Imaging primarily covers the use of Photoshop and Photoshop Elements the workflow procedures and editing information is valid for almost any photo editor out there so even if you don’t use an Adobe product this section still offers plenty of useful and relevant information. Adobe Lightroom and ImageReady are also well documented.

Of interest beyond the scope of the actual photography is an extensive section on managing, viewing, sharing and printing your photographs. The section on managing your images should be a “must read” for anyone that values the work they do. Backing up images and organizing your photos so you can find them is covered in detail. How many of you are up to date on this?

For Nikon users there is a special Nikon edition containing a few hundred additional extra pages of coverage of Capture NX 2.2, Capture NX 1.4, Nikon Capture 4.4, and Nikon Scan. Being a Nikon user this is the edition I purchased and I found the Nikon NX2 information (my RAW editor of choice) very well laid out and extremely informative. I find that I reference the section often as I’m working on images and it’s infinitely better than the official NX2 user manual. Once again, the use of numerous illustrations really made understanding many of the concepts far easier than just reading a typical book or e book. I don’t use the other Nikon programs but expect the information contained in 123di would be just as good.

123di is available in a standard edition and extended edition. The extended version is well worth the additional purchase price regardless of whether you are buying the regular version or the special Nikon version. For an additional $10 you gain the ability to bookmark pages, add notes to pages, search for multiple keywords and a host of other benefits. With over 5,500 pages of information available I found this to be a must have feature to keep track of what I was learning and exploring.

What’s my verdict on this product? As a professional photographer with over 30 years experience I like to think that I have a good grasp on photography technique. I have also been doing digital photography since the dark ages about 10 years ago and have taught many photography courses over the years. With this in mind I am amazed at what I have learned from this digital photography guide and can see using The 123 of Digital Imaging as a teaching aid in future courses. For the beginning photographer there is years worth of learning potential here and the great user interface makes the information available in seconds. For the seasoned pro there is lots of valuable digital photography information available as well.

RATING: 5 stars

Additional information may be obtained at The 123 of Digital Imaging web site. A FREE demo is available.

FREE quarterly fine art print - Malaspina Galleries, Gabriola Island

The Gulf Islands Guide and The Pender Island Guide publishes a monthly email newsletter with Gulf Islands news and stories as well as photography hints and resources.

Newsletter subscriber benefits include:

• a FREE quarterly fine art photograph* by noted island photographer Kevin Oke,
• ask a photographer… answers to your questions about photography techniques and locations and,
• special offers and FREE giveaways including wallpapers, free desktop calendars and more. Sign up today and receive your first fine art photograph immediately.

*Images are provided as high resolution digital files suitable for fine art images up to 16×20 inches or more. Images provided are for personal use only and may not be distributed in any way. The printing of photographs is your responsibility and at your cost. We highly recommend quality professional printers to get the most enjoyment out of your free fine art prints.

Free fine art prints - 1st Quarter 2010

As part of our Gulf Islands Newsletter subscriber benefits we give away a free fine art photograph every quarter. Cabbage Island Sunrise will ONLY be available for another week. To recieve your free print just sign up for our newsletter. SIGN UP HERE!

Our quarter 2 fine art photograph features the rocks at the Malaspina Galleries on Gabriola Island. This print will be available free to our newsletter subscribers on April 1st, 2010.

Newsletter subscriber benefits include:  

• a FREE quarterly fine art photograph* by noted island photographer Kevin Oke,
• ask a photographer… answers to your questions about photography techniques and locations and,
• special offers and FREE giveaways  including wallpapers, free desktop calendars and more. Sign up today and receive your first fine art photograph immediately.  

*Images are provided as high resolution digital files suitable for fine art images up to 16×20 inches or more. Images provided are for personal use only and may not be distributed in any way. The printing of photographs is your responsibility and at your cost. We highly recommend quality professional printers to get the most enjoyment out of your free fine art prints.

Q2 FREE fine art photograph - Malaspina Galleries, Gabriola Island

Burgoyne Bay is both accessible by land from a turn off in the Fulford Valley as well as water as there is a government dock and good moorage in the area. The tree lined roads to the bay are very picturesque with many old farm buildings and funky fences. This road is also incredibly dusty!

The area around Burgoyne Bay was recently acquired and is now Burgoyne Bay Provincial Park. The park contains wooded Douglas fir forests, a beautiful Garry oak forest, a number of old farm buildings and a native archaeological site.

Tree lined roads near Burgoyne Bay, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

The public wharf at Burgoyne Bay, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

The rocky shore at Burgoyne Bay, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Walker Hook is located on the north end of Salt Spring Island and was named after schooner captain Edward Walker. The area has been used for fish farming in recent years and is also one of the largest archaeological sites in the Gulf Islands. This beautiful spit is well worth a visit.

Aerial photograph of Walker Hook with Wallace Island in the background, Salt Spring Island, BC

A boat at Walker Hook, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

Weekly photo for 26 November, 2009

Poets Cove Resort & Spa is located in spectacular Bedwell Harbour. This aerial photograph shows what a aspectacular area this is.

Poets Cove Resort & Spa, South Pender Island, British Columbia