I have sent out my latest newsletter “Take Advantage of our Winter Blue”. An Extreme campaign focusing on aerial photographs during our beautiful blue winter weather. For more info make sure you check out the newsletter here. You can sign up for future newsletters on my home page.

My Exhibition

If you would like to display these images in your workplace, shopping center etc. please contact me by email or ph 0402 706 763

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Once in a while we all get stuck using complex programs such as Lightroom and Photoshop and get confused with the simplest way of doing things. Today I’ll show you a part of my workflow and that’s including importing files into Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, renaming, converting to DNG, folder structure. If your after a super quick & easy tutorial skip to the Import dialog with the portraits.

To start off lets change one preference in Lightroom to show the import dialog when a memory card is detected. On a PC (Edit>Preference) or Mac (Lightroom>Preferences).

From now on every time you attach a memory card or camera to your computer the import dialog will show up (pictured below). There is actually quite a bit in here so we’ll go throughout it step by step.

1. File Handling – Copying the files from the card or camera. My workflow involves converting all raw files too DNG. You can read a great article on the benefits of using DNG by Peter Krough here.
2. Copy to – a location on your hard drive, this gets changed each month to keep a folder hierarchy. e.g. 09-10 folder is 2009-October.
3. Organise – These are folders that get created during the import. It’s a bit minimal on what you can do here so I just create my own.
4. Backup to – Just a safe house if your files corrupt during import or DNG conversion. Keep these for archival files if you like, personally I delete them after a week as I have my own backup in operation.
5. File naming – Hopefully you realise how important file renaming is for future use in preventing duplication, giving structure and recognition to your files. By creating a custom setting we will help resolve these problems from now on, here are the three parts to a file name.
   • Muzza – is my unique id, try not to use something to generic like John, use you initials or business name.
   • 091030 – YYMMDD that’s todays date backwards keeping all the files more hierarchal.
   • File number suffix – this is the numbers out of you cameras filenames
   • Once your done save this as a preset

   

6. Develop settings – Instead of these I apply camera raw profiles in the develop module>calibration
7. Metadata – All the metadata is applied to your photographs in bulk for each import. It is quite extensive, but will help in showing ownership of the files, copyright, location, photographer etc.
8. Keywords – To apply keywords individually you’ll have to wait after import.
9. Initial Previews – Depending on how you preview your files and how soon you need them will require different options.
   • Minimal – When speed is needed or importing a tone of files. (Thumbnails)
   • Embedded & Sidecar – Oftentimes embedded and sidecar previews are inaccurate so skip this one.
   • Standard – I use most of the time (Screen size)
   • 1:1 – For zooming in when fine detail is needed, saves heaps of time latter. (100% size)

After setting all these options up it will make life easier only having to change two steps (3 & 9) for each import. If your really not into reading books don’t read this or that, have a go at a few online video tutorials @ Kelby Training or Lynda.com.

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Over the last five years of owning a computer, for some reason I have subscribed to hundreds of different newsletters, latest updates, new blog posts, twitters and so on… My mission has been to unsubscribe. Un-cluttering the inbox and freeing up an extra 15 minutes a day, trust me? every minute helps. This is where only a few have squeezed their way through. Check them out you may love them.

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• Michael Clark Photography. A bit of inspiration to keep me going.

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Kayaking Tully River

Last Sunday Andre and I traveled down to Tully river, his goal was to paddle and mine was to photograph the 25 kayakers carving up the rapids. My new camera lens combo (D700, 24-70mm and 70-200mm) has superseded results again in delivering super sharp action photographs. Preview above. I’ll post them online next week with the announcement of Pandora.

How’s Pandora’s Progress

She’s sweetly moving along fine with her nearly final design, you’ll just have to wait and see. All that is left is building in content pages like: fine art prints, sports portraits and outdoor advertising.

Coming soon to a TV near you.. he he

Digital Asset Management

I help out a lot of other photographers both upcoming and experienced professionals (cause I’m a nice guy) in Digital Asset Management (DAM) that’s the organisation of your photographs and also the photographers workflow.

Yesterday a photographer friend Janelle rang with a few questions on DNG’s file renaming and using them in Lightroom. 20 min latter we soothed the sores and she now has a smoother flowing workflow. Next week I’ll explain the process here on my blog.

Lightroom Workflow Explained

My little workshop went off with a blast and full to capacity (of 9). As I promised to all that attended here are a few links which may help in the future.

• Shooting Tethered – Tethering software for a MAC
• The Turning Gate – A heap of awesome galleries.
• LRB Portfolio – Portfolio website created in Lightroom
• Lightroom Killer Tips – Tutorials, tips, shortcuts & presets.
• The DAM Book – Resources, forum and of course a book.

Pandora’s Coming in November.

Featuring a brand new portfolio page with filtering of different galleries, client testimonials, re-worked contact page and a beautifully laid out blog. Of course there is are a heap of other content coming, we are still two weeks away from the final design & testing. So stay tuned in.

Amazingly designing and managing a website has become easier with the advent of free CMS’s (content management systems) like WordPress and customised themes from Theme Forest. I’d like to give my thanks to these organisation in helping me GTD.

Please check out the new page Screenshots of Pandora

Well it’s time to catch up on a few blogs that Iv’e missed in the last two months. Not to say I haven’t done much but my work life has actually been quite fun. So what’s coming in the blogs you may ask over the next few days. Well, check them out below.

• Friday – My Photography Setup for the Great Pyramid Race
• Mon – The Journey to Extreme Kayaking in Winter
• Tue – Porsche – Layered files in Photoshop
• Wed - Conferencing in Sydney with NESA
• Thu – On a personal note – The Quoll Adventuregaine
• Fri – A Surprise Post??

Subscribe to my twitter to for the latest posts… enjoy!

15th October 7pm

15 Panoramic Pl, Whitfield (Muzza’s House)

Lightroom Workflow Explained

Come and hangout with other professional photographs and learn how to use Adobe Lightroom as part of your workflow, making you much more post productive. Expert software guru Muzza will run through the quickest and most effective way to get your images to the client, plus a heap of tips and tricks for you enthusiasts. All explained on a massive 60inch flatscreen.

Bring yourself a few beers and a Laptop if you’d like to setup Lightroom, we’ll order pizzas as well.

Take the next leap forward… @ the Lightroom Workflow Explained. It’s totally free!
Bring questions and get answers.

RSVP now to Muzza! only nine spots left.

Muzza’s interview with John Mackenzie

My promotion, your opportunity: – From the start of winter Muzza! (that’s me) of Extreme Photographs will be photographing the beautiful region of Cairns and NQld, that’s right from a helicopter.

Anyway here’s the deal: – I’m offering a chance for you to receive an aerial portfolio of your property, commercial business, landscape or personal creation starting from $445 for your first property and all other properties are half price. A few small T&C’s apply. You will receive five awesome digital images on CD which you can use in your promotional media plus a 11×16 inch archival print of you chosen photograph. Ring now to book your custom aerial photographs this season.

Testimonials:

Thanks Muzz, these are sensational. I hope you had as much fun getting them as I have had viewing…….. Cheers (Councilor) Paul Gregory

Just want to say thanks for the Aerial Photographs, their fantastic. Brendan -Cleaner Seas Alliance