I think I’ve really been very fortunate being a photographer in that I have embraced digital technologies ever since the conception of the quality digital cameras. You have to recognize that this is not a number of decades we’re talking about however, in my own situation it is only since 2000 I believe. The particular reason behind the “fortunate” aspect may be two sided, the favorable aspect being that I have used Photoshop as well as Data Asset Management software for many years and they’re simply a natural part of my lifestyle and workflow, the negative aspect being a large number of of my earlier digital pictures are horrible as far as the quality element goes. While they served the function at the time; being able to shoot photographs and e mail them swiftly, at 2.1 fuzzy mega pixels there is not much hope for their long-term use in my personal stock portfolio.

Light and Land, Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom is now available Click Here to Get the Book Now

Having observed a few beginner & pro photographers make the switch to the new digital systems the past few years I have observed a consistent struggle with them striving to determine the most effective techniques to produce the photos they have worked so faithfully for in the photography phase. A few have spent a long time photographing with Fujichrome Velvia, not really a personal favorite but nevertheless a hugely popular roll film. Other individuals have come through the negative roll film ranks where the exposure tolerance is relatively lax and may have been somewhat lazy in mastering this essential technical element of taking pictures. Regardless, what both transparency film and negative film had in common is normally many of us took our film to a photo lab and left the film with their skilled specialists to supply the end results. Sure, there are exceptions, some of us did our own printing, especially with black and white photographs. In our contemporary digital world now “we” are both the photographer and technician.

Light and Land, Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom by Michael Frye is the newest ebook in the Craft and Vision library. Michael, a photographer based at the doorstep of Yosemite National Park, knows his stuff pertaining to inspired landscapes as well as the post-processing strategies that make his vision a reality. Light and Land is written particularly for photographers with an interest in landscapes who want to clarify their own unique perspective. Landscape photography, like other specific genres, features its own challenges with respect to the digital darkroom and this e book will be of use to anyone wanting to take their post-processing one stage further. With equal parts inspiration and instruction Michael goes step-by-step over the aesthetic judgments behind each and every decision, and he unpacks the principles powering the landscape-specific considerations.

While Michael Frye takes us through the developing of five scenery photos the workflow and decisions made will work for just about any photo whether you are a sports photographer, event photographer or perhaps only want to receive the best results you can from your family images. Michael uses Adobe Lightroom for his examples however the same concepts apply regardless of what editor that you are utilizing.

Light and Land is crammed full of information and superbly illustrated with gorgeous photos of Yosemite National Park. The ebook can be purchased now as a down-loadable Pdf file for only $5 USD. Trust me, this e-book is well worth the price, that is not much more than the Starbucks cappuccino that you had this morning!

Special Offer on PDFs

For the first 4 days only, if you use the promotional code LAND4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Light & Land for only $4 OR use the code LAND20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft and Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST December 19, 2010.

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.

The large town of Ganges is of course the hub of the island. While Ganges seems busy from the narrow streets, from the air one notices that it is quite small and actually very picturesque. Ganges must truly be one of the prettier little towns in British Columbia!

Ganges, Salt Spring Island Aerial Photographs, British Columbia, Canada.

The Fulford Valley at the south end of Salt Spring Island is a picturesque farming community. Mount Maxwell looms over the valley, for an aerial view of Fulford Valley without hiring a helicopter drive to the top of Mount Maxwell and enjoy the spectacular vista.

Fulford Valley and Mt. Maxwell, Salt Spring Island Aerial Photogaph

Walker Hook is likely the most noticeable landmark on Salt Spring Island when flying over the area. The sandy beach is a very pleasant area to spend an afternoon.

Aerial photo of Walker Hook, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.

St. Mary Lake is the largest lake on Salt Spring Island and has been a popular resort area for years.

Aerial photograph of Saint Mary Lake, Salt Spring Island, British Columbia

These photographs are a sample of what can be expected as you approach North and South Pender Island from different angles. Additional aerial photographs of North Pender Island Aerial Photos and South Pender Island Aerial Photos.

The view from North Pender Island to South Pender Island, North Pender Island, BC

Poets Cove Resort and Bedwell Harbour, South Pender Island, BC

The canal between North Pender Island and South Pender Island, BC

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

Roesland on North Pender Island was run as a resort for decades. In recent years the property was purchased for parkland and now is contained within the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada. The spit contains some of the most impressive arbutus trees on North Pender Island as well as a spectacular clump of white fawn lilies. The lilies bloom in April and add a really nice addition to any visit.

White Fawn Lilies at Roesland, North Pender Island

Old cottage at Roesland, Gulf Islands National Park, North Pender Island

Aerial photo of Roesland, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada, North Pender Island

Looking south from Roesland, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada, North Pender Island