December 2006

December 5, 2006 17:16 -

ACDSee Pro photo Editing Software

Do you use Adobe Photoshop or Elements? I spend somewhere in the region of 40% of my "photography time" in Photoshop making my images look as clean and colourful as I can.

I also use and have always used ACDSee Pro running alongside it. The ease of viewing finished files and the quality is excellent and I find they compliment each other perfectly.

As a quick feature example, I took my laptop today, to show a client over 15 villas I had recently shot for them. As each villa has its own folder and deep in each folder is another with the finished images inside, navigating and showing the images would normally be a pain.

However, what I was able to do with ACDSee Pro Editing Manager was to flag each villa shot in each folder and "virtually" host them in a new, separate file that I created within ACDSee.

The files were not moved, just flagged, and a click of the "Villa" folder brought every single villa shot into view in just one place. I could then scroll through each image as though they were in the same place. Or I could just set a slideshow running.

It is an amazing program and well worth considering if you are an advanced amateur, semi-pro or professional photographer. It helps my workflow incredibly.

Read more on ACDSee Pro Editing Software here…

All the best,

Nick

All Things Photography

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December 5, 2006 20:11 -

Flash Diffusers and Softboxes

I have been looking for a tried and tested and extensive flash diffuser system for my Canon Speedlights to enable me to leave the studio lights at home more often.

I stumbled across an advert for Harbour Digital Design products and had a good look through their site…it seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.

I had seen other products but I was looking for more of a "mini softbox" as well as a standard speedlight diffuser which I could use for many of my projects including weddings, stock photography and property photography.

I ordered their pro pack which included everything including a few colour filters, reflectors and accessories and gave it a try at numerous weddings and property shoots.

I was amazed at the spread of light that these products gave and I now take them everywhere with me… (My kit bag is up to 10kg and rising)!! and I even bought a second pro kit for a two speedlight set up. Now I have a portable mini studio!

I have written a quick review and suggest that you have a look if you are looking for softboxes and diffusers for your own speedlight. They are available for many makes and models and you will receive a 5% discount if you use the code on the review page.

Flash and speedlight softbox and diffuser review

Cheers,

Nick
All Things Photography

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December 8, 2006 10:46 - New Look and Feel at All things Photography

Well, after a bout of insomnia over the past two nights, I decided to start changing the entire look of All Things Photography.

I have added some new pages (including the 2 e-Books) with the new look and now given the site a new homepage. It is meant to have a clearer interface with easy navigation and I will be using a black background throughout the site as I feel it makes images stand out that much better.

I would appreciate feedback on any new or existing pages for errors and mistakes as I go.

What started as a small project 2 years ago has now taken over my life somewhat and I intend to give the site a huge push in 2007.

I will be adding many new features and content so stay tuned.

I would also appreciate any thoughts on what you would like to see added in the future?

A Forum for example? - Are there enough regular visitors out there to justify one? We are currently getting around 1,500 people a day and 120,000 page views a month and I was thinking it may be an idea to start a small community here.

Anyway, like I said, any feedback on anything to do with the site would be greatly appreciated.

New Homepage - All Things Photography

All the best,

Nick Stubbs

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