Fixing Digital Photographs and Images

In my business, I work with a lot of digital photographs and images (some of them are mine, others are not). Of course, being a photographer I get a lot of questions regarding how to “fix” those digital photographs. My funny response is the best fix is to take a photograph that doesn’t need any fixing. But, even professionals like myself can’t help taking a photo that needs a tweak or two. So how do you do it?

Adobe Photoshop is absolutely the best software package out there to use to fix a photograph. It can do just about anything from retouching a skin blemish to changing a background. However, Photoshop is very expensive and can be quite intimidating for the non-professional. So what can I do, you ask?

Easy! Adobe recognizes that Photoshop is not for everyone so they have released a program called Adobe Photoshop Elements. Think of it like Photoshop’s little brother without the big expensive pricetag and without the intimidating interface and learning curve. You will be able to find about 90% of the “fixes” found in its big brother and it even contains tutorials and “recipes” for fixes and enhancements.

Download a free trial version at the following link:

http://www.download.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Elements/3000-2192_4-10057110.html

Best wishes in your efforts.

Chris.

Another website up and going: http://www.chrismckennaphoto.com

A few months back, I posted that we were moving our posts about our photography from this blog to another. However, that doesn't preclude me from posting any information relevant to my business here, does it? I don't think so.

So I am posting here that I have yet another photo website up and going. You can find it at:
http://www.chrismckennaphoto.com/.

Right now, although the look is different the content is almost a mirror image to http://www.chrismckennaphotography.com/. The goal with this site it to continue with my efforts to manage a website that google can actually find (I’m having all sorts of problems with the flash-driven, third-party site I currently use), to use as a proofing site for my clients, but eventually to serve as the site in which I can sell some of my work online.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Enjoy the slideshows and new site.

Blessings,

Chris

Thank you to our fallen heros!

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

~ Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)

Seperate Photo Blog

Greetings faithful readers,

For a few different reasons, we have found it necessary to spin off the photo part of our blog. We hope that this might help you seperate the photography part of our business from the photo part without having to wade through the posts of the others.

We still plan to show photographs from our weddings, however, but probably more as video rather than just standalone photos. Of course, we reserve the right to change our mind on that. :-)

The new photo blog will be located at http://chrismckennaphotography.wordpress.com - so be sure to bookmark it and visit often.

Thank you for your continued support.

God's Blessings,

Chris.

Videotape Shelf Life?

If you are like most people, you may have boxes and cupboards filled of your home videos. Videos of your childrens birthdays, Christmas mornings, special events, etc.

And if you are like most people you no longer have a VCR to play them. But you don't want to throw them away because of all the special memories contained within them.
Unfortunately, you shouldn't just tuck them away and forget about them either. You see, videotapes has a finite life. Over time, they will detiorate and the captured images will disappear forever.

"But I haven't played them much," you say. It doesn't matter, the oxides on the tape will break down over time regardless of how many, or few, times they have passed over the VCR play heads.

Some industry reports say that the average shelf life is about 15 years, but I beleive that in some cases it is much less. I have seen some videotapes that are reportedly only 5 years old show signs of deterioration.

So what can I do? Simple! Transfer them to DVD. Whether we transfer them, someone else does it or you do it yourself you need to get them off the tapes and onto a digital medium.

God's blessings,

Chris

Family Portrait Video

The following is a video that we assembled of some of the family portraits that we took of Steve, Lauri and their adorable daughter, Audrey last December (Audrey's Second Christmas). This was a fun photo shoot for us and it was fun for us to assemble the video for them as well. We hope you enjoy it. 

And congratulations, Steve & Lauri, on child #2. We look forward to meeting him soon! 

God's blessings, 

Chris. 

You can see more pictures on our website: www.chrismckennaphotography.com 

Don't throw away your old DVD player yet--Blu-Ray & HD DVD Players Still Having Compatibility Issues

Don't throw away your old DVD player yet! 

Ok, you have HD (high-def) programming on your new 50-inch plasma tv, and the picture is terrific.  You love being able to watch Bill O'Reilly in 1080p resolution as well your March Madness basketball games. Great!!! Now what about your DVD movies? 

The good news is that the big electronic companies, namely Sony, have developed a format for watching movies in HD. That format is called Blu-Ray (HD-DVD was killed last year in a highly publicized HD format war). The bad news #1 is that your current collection of DVD movies is not Blu-Ray. 

Does this mean that you cannot watch those movies anymore? No, it doesn't. You should still be able to watch those standard-definition movies (SD) on those players (check with your player first). They won't be in HD, but the picture will still look fantastic (the promise of ''upconverting" does not mean your SD picture is now HD) and you will be very happy. So you do not have to go out and repurchase all your favorite movies in Blu-Ray, unless you want to (I'm still waiting for Star Wars and Lord of the Rings to be released on Blu-Ray and will repurchase when they are). 

Now for the bad news #2 (and to me the most significant problem)--these new players still have compatibility issues with "burned" DVD's. 

For everything that these new players do, they won't correctly play your home movies, film transfers, DVD slideshows, and just about everything else that is burned onto a DVD (DVD-R, DVD+R, etc.).  The most common problem that I hear is while one can see the video, they can't hear the audio. This is a common symptom of non-compliant units. Last time I heard, only about 40% of the units on the market today are compliant with all standards. 

But I bought this new player to watch my home movies in HD, you say. Well, given the fact that most of your content is recorded SD (if even that) and not HD, playing them on a Blu-Ray and HD-DVD player won't make them HD.  You can't take a #3 pencil and make it a #2 by using a different pencil sharpener--it just doesn't happen. Likewise, you can't take a VHS tape that was originally recorded in 240 lines of resolution and make it 1080 or 720 by putting it in a new player. 

So, if you don't have a Blu-Ray player yet and playing your burned discs on them is important to you (i.e., not having 2 players in your cabinet), wait on that purchase until a few more "electronic generations" have passed. Otherwise, go stimulate the economy and purchase that new player and blu-ray discs and enjoy your new picture quality. 

Blessings to you, 

Chris. 

www.mckennavideo.com