The new Thomas Dean Images site is launched!

It has been an interesting few weeks.  Today, the new Thomas Dean Images site is officially launched.  http://www.thomasdeanimages.com

The launch is the culmination of a complete redesign of the website, a change of internet hosting companies and lots of work behind the scenes.

The new site would not be possible without the support I received from my new hosting provider, Ipage and my wordpress theme provider, Photocrati.  Their support groups were at the ready to give me advice on the best way to implement the new site.  I am very thankful to them.

Even though it has been a lot of work,  I have to say, it has all been worth it!  I really like the new design.  I hope you do too.

 

Posted in General

Week 2 of the Website Construction

There has been lots of updates to the site in the past week.  It is just about ready to go live.

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Building the new site

It has been an adventure!   For the past year or so, it has been my goal to update and refresh my website.  After a lot of searching I discovered WordPress.  I have been educating myself on how it works.  I have grown to really appreciate its flexibility and ease of use.  After going back and forth on how to approach the new site, I decided to purchase a premium template from Photocrati.  Photocrati creates WordPress themes for photographers.

I decided to go with Photocrati rather than others because they seemed to have everything I wanted under one roof, so to speak.   I made my purchase and began to turn up the site.   It was not without hickups, but I have to say that every problem I encountered (mostly my fault) was resolved by contacting Photocrati’s support staff.   They were very patient with me and really helpful.

So the building process has begun.  Stay tuned for more updates.

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Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

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The Creative Slump

It happens to baseball players all the time. It is the much feared “slump”. A productive hitter suddenly can’t hit the broad side of a barn. Each day that goes by only increases the pressure to perform. The harder you try, the worse it gets. The worse it gets, the pressure increases even more. It becomes a vicious circle. There is only one way to end it. You have to take a deep breath and go back to the basics.

It is the same for creative people. One day you have so many ideas that you don’t know what to do with them. Then one day, nothing works. You have ideas, but they fall short of your normal standards. The pressure begins for you. You work harder on something that you know in your heart is not your best work. So you stop and start another project that also falls short of your normal standards. So you stop again.
You have to take the example of the baseball player and go back to the basics. Clear out the forced ideas and make room for the ideas that normally come naturally to you. Take time to go back to the basics. How do you do this?

- Give your mind a break. Take a few days off and don’t do anything creative.

- Look at the things that normally inspire you with fresh eyes

- Play what if games to force yourself to change your perspective

- Look at your past work and ask yourself how you would do it differently now.

- If you are right handed, make your left hand dominant for a day. If you are left handed, make your right hand dominant. This will really throw your brain a curve!

- Let your mind be open to the new ideas that begin to come in. Do not edit at this point, just document any idea that comes to mind.

- Try a new approach to the beginning of a project.

- Do not begin a project that you feel is below your standard. Keep working it until you know you are on the right track.

It can be a very frustrating time for creative people who fall into a slump. But like the baseball player, you have to work through it by going back to the basics. Break the habits that got you into the slump. Before you know it, you will be back on track. You may even find your “slump” was a great learning experience that gave you a new way of looking at things.

Posted in General, Photography

Sometimes You Just Have to Make Dew

I was out this morning for my morning walk when I found a beautiful spider web. After my walk I came back to photograph it. As I looked around, everything was covered with dew. Everything was covered, except my spider web! Fortunately, I was prepared with a small spray bottle filled with water. A few sprays later the spider web was glistening with dew drops just as it was before sunrise. Sometimes you just have to make dew!

Posted in General, Photography

Cool Tools for Your Iphone

The Iphone puts technology in your pocket. The great news is that it is technology you can use! There are a number of applications that can help you in your photography. Right now on my phone I have:

- a depth of field calculator,
- a sunrise/sunset application,
- a Golden Light calculator,
- a posing guide
- a weather application.

I can and do use these applications when I go out on a shoot. The great news is, there are lots more applications on the way as enterprising developers put their energy into developing applications for photographers.

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To Tripod or Not to Tripod

One of the best tools in my kit is my tripod. I have had it for years. And yes, it is a bit heavier than the tripods available today, but it gets the job done.

I use the tripod for about 80% of my shooting. When I am taking landscapes, there is nothing like it. But I must admit there are times when hand held is the only way to go.

I often find myself in a crowded area or physically tight spaces where a tripod will not work. Hand held with vibration reduction can give you acceptable results for those times when a tripod is out of the question.

So the answer whether to tripod or not to tripod really depends on your shooting situation. Use a tripod whenever it is practical to do so. A tripod will give you your best chance for an amazing image.

One more thing, if you have vibration reduction in your camera and lens, turn it off when you mount your camera on the tripod. It will work against you if you leave it turned on.

Posted in General, Photography

The Adventure of Timed Exposures

The timed exposure has been a mainstay in photography since its beginning.  The timed exposure is often used for capturing the movement of water.  With time standing still, water flows and leaves beautiful, sensual streaks on the sensor.   It takes on the sense of flowing silk.  Here is an example of water flowing in a 2 second exposure.

Waterfall Abstract

Waterfall shot with a 2 second exposure.

 

 

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The Graduated Neutral Density Filter

Have you ever been out shooting landscapes and found that the sky was so bright that you could not get a decent exposure?   Even taking a reading of the sky and the land separately and splitting the difference in exposure doesn’t help.   The results are still the same, you are not satisfied with the end result.   So what can you do?

One of the most powerful tools you can add to your photography kit is a graduated neutral density filter.  They are usually rectangular in shape with the full strength neutral density lightening to clear.   They are available in a variety of strengths to meet your needs.

While you can get them in round filters, I highly recommend the rectangular filters even though you will have to have a filter holder.  You have much more shooting flexibility with the rectangular version.

The Graduated Neutral Density Filter  makes it possible to shoot a landscape even when you have a very bright sky and a darker land mass.   If you shoot without the filter, you will either blow out the sky or you will have very dark land.   There are simply too many stops between the land and sky.   Something has to give.

The way to control the situation is to use the filter putting the full strength neutral density portion at the top and have the land unaffected by the clear portion.   The result is you lessen the brightness of the sky so it is more in proportion to the brightness of the land.   This gives you an exposure you can live with.

When I shoot landscapes now, I generally have the neutral density filter at hand.

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