PhotoPlus Expo New York City 1st Day Observations: 5 Trade Show Booth Suggestions

The PDN PhotoPlus International Conference + Expo’s 26th annual trade show is in full swing, and as usual, it’s impressive, both for the trade show offerings, as well as the excellent seminars in lecture halls off the show floor. It appears to me that there are fewer companies showing their goods and services this year compared to last year, but the offerings are vast, and include the gamut, from tripods to DSLRs, to Photoshop action sets and much more. It’s like a candy store for photographers and those who love to look at pictures. And be sure to check out the seminar offerings.

In the interest of time (and sleep), I will post photos to go with many of these after the show is over. Until then, here’s a small sampling of what impressed me greatly when I was there on Thursday 10/22/09.

1. Blurb (Booth #361) My mouth was wide open saying words like “amazing” and “holy cow” when I saw the incredible books made by Blurb from imagery and text submitted by their clients. The hardbound wraparound photo covers have such a nice look and feel. Coupled with the high quality printing and impressive design of so many of the books, it was a joy to look at the collections of images.

website: https://www.blurb.com

2. Canon (Booth #120,220) Canon’s booth is huge, and includes a stage with rotating presentations by many notable photographers. Another great thing about this showx, as with many other camera manufacturers, is the ability to hold and try out just about any current model camera body and lens that the company offers. Also, don’t miss the huge panoramic print by George Lepp on the wall. It is an HDR stitched panorama made from 66 images (shot with the Canon EOS 5D Mark II and printed on the Canon imagePROGRAF iPF9100 inkjet printer.

website: https://www.canonusa.com

3. Epson (Booth #805) Epson always shows truly impressive work on the walls, and this year is no exception. One photo on the wall by Stephen Wilkes printed on Epson Exhibition Fiber is so riveting both in content and color that I could not take my eyes off it. Look for the blue photo–it’s not that big, but you can’t miss it. You can also see the new Epson Stylus Pro 3880 17-inch-wide printer, as well as some prints made using the printer. The black and white imagery from the 3880 and the Epson Stylus Pro 7900 and 9900 are pretty spectacular.

website: https://www.epson.com

4. Hahnemühle (Booth #754) The sheer number of fine-art papers in the Hahnemühle booth is staggering. Whether you use an inkjet printer or not, I highly recommend taking some time to look at the following in their booth:

• A truly outstanding black and white portfolio of prints of Japan by Craig Stevens. They were printed on Hahnemühle Photo Rag Baryta. The company recently announced a heavier weight version of the paper–Photo Rag Baryta FB 350gsm.

• A beautifully made sample book (about 11×17 in size and located near the coatings display). It contains most if not all of their fine-art papers, including their new Sugar cane paper.

• Hahnemühle Gallerie Wraps Canvas stretching system.

website: https://www.Hahnemuhle.com

5. Moab Paper (Booth #630) Moab recently unveiled some great looking portfolio books named ICE NINE, in 8×9 and 12×13 inch format. Also, the company has a great sample rack with their entire photo line. I made a print for their booth this year, and the company printed up a card with one of my photos and a partially excerpted tip from my book, 301 Inkjet Tips and Techniques. I also recommend checking out the Moab Somerset Photo Satin 300 paper, as well as the amazing botanical image by Barbara Bordnick printed on the company’s Moenkopi Japanese Washi. Very impressive.

website: https://www.moabpaper.com

The PhotoPlus Expo continues until 10/24/2009 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. Visit this page for more info or to register.

Creative Blur Step by Step Photoshop Tutorial

Creative Blur Photoshop Tutorial (Works in all versions of Photoshop since Photoshop CS4)
Images and Text by Andrew Darlow

Creative Blur has been used from the very early days of photography both intentionally to create a certain look, and because of the inherent characteristics of lenses, apertures and cameras with swings and tilts, such as 4×5 and 8×10 view cameras.

Today we have many options for using blur creatively in-camera and in post production. A popular and innovative family of lenses called Lensbabies allows for creative blur in-camera without the need for any software. And a software application/plug-in from Alien Skin Software called Exposure (see my hands-on review HERE) has a tool called “Bokeh” that allows you to take creative blur to a whole new level.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how you can quickly and easily transform the look of a photo or illustration in Photoshop by introducing blur on various sections of the image. Photoshop CS4 are recommended, but you can use other blur tools and other applications to create similar effects.

STEP 1: Open your image and duplicate the Background Layer by dragging the background layer onto the copy layer icon at the bottom of the Layer palette, or by selecting the Background layer and choosing Layer>Duplicate Layer> then name the layer.

Fig. 1: Original Photo, which has been moderately sharpened overall (photo © Andrew Darlow)

STEP 2: Select the Background copy layer. It’s a good idea to rename it to something like “Blur Layer”. Then apply a blur over the entire image using Filter>Blur>Lens Blur. There are many variables and options available in this tool. I used the options shown in Fig 2.

Fig. 2: Lens Blur tool in action (photo © Andrew Darlow)

STEP 3: While the top Layer is selected, create a Layer mask by Option (PC: Alt) Clicking on the Layer Mask icon (Fig. 3). That will conceal the blur and allow you to paint it in selectively.

Fig. 3: Duplicated layer with Layer mask

STEP 4: Select the Layer Mask icon and choose a shade of gray or pure white depending on the strength of the blur that you’d like. Then paint in the shade of white or gray you choose using a soft brush. About 100-300 pixels in size and 0 hardness works well for medium-resolution images (about 8-10 megapixel camera images, or 24-30MB in 8-bit RGB, which is 48-60MB in 16-bit RGB). Experiment to determine the best brush size for your images. I like to use the bracket keys “[ ]” to make the brush size larger and smaller as I work because it is fast. The mask that I created and edited can be seen in Fig 4.

Fig 4: The painted layer mask can be seen in the top of the layers palette, and the final image is shown to the left. (photo © Andrew Darlow)

STEP 5: Examine your work and switch to black in your color picker to paint back sharpness, or switch to another shade to make the blur effect stronger or weaker in any area of your image.

Lexar Media to Host Presentations from Professional Photographers at PhotoPlus Expo in New York City

I just received this press release and thought that I’d share this information about the three outstanding photographers who will be giving talks at the Lexar Media booth at PhotoPlus Expo in NYC. I always enjoy hearing from photographers as they talk about their work. That’s what helps makes PhotoPlus Expo such a great show. Below is the full press release:

Fremont, CA, October 15, 2009 – Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, announced today it will host presentations from critically acclaimed Lexar® Elite Photographers Jerry Avenaim, Douglas Dubler, and Rick Sammon during PhotoPlus Expo 2009 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. These world-renowned digital photographers will share their latest work, imaging tips and techniques, and best practices with visitors in the Lexar Media booth (#1036) on October 22-24, 2009. Additional information on these and other Lexar Elite Photographers, as well as their photography and techniques can be found at www.lexar.com/dp.

“Photographers worldwide trust Lexar to protect the images that matter most to them. For Jerry, Douglas, and Rick, their images are their passion, and each of these renowned photographers rely on Lexar Professional memory cards to help capture award-winning images,” said Jeff Cable, director of marketing, Lexar Media. “We are proud to have professionals of their caliber in the Lexar Media booth at PhotoPlus Expo to showcase their latest work and share digital imaging tips and experiences with attendees.”

Each professional photographer trusts Lexar Professional flash memory cards and card readers as staples in their respective digital imaging workflows. Celebrity and fashion photographer Jerry Avenaim relies on the speed and dependability of his equipment when photographing A-list actors or world-famous models. Fashion and beauty photographer Douglas Dubler requires dependable gear to seamlessly combine craft and creativity to produce some of the most memorable images in editorial, advertising, and fine art photography. Travel photographer Rick Sammon shoots in exotic locations around the world and must have the most durable and reliable accessories to withstand severe shooting conditions.

These Lexar Elite Photographers will share their work and digital imaging practices with visitors in the Lexar Media booth (#1036) between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm each day of PhotoPlus Expo. The schedule of in-booth presentations are as follows:

-          Jerry Avenaim –
Thursday, October 22 at 1:00 pm
Friday, October 23 at 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm
Saturday, October 24 at 12:00 pm

-          Douglas Dubler –
Thursday, October 22 at 2:00 pm
Friday, October 23 at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm
Saturday, October 24 at 1:30 pm

-          Rick Sammon –
Thursday, October 22 at 12:00 pm and 3:00 pm
Friday, October 23 at 1:00 pm
Saturday, October 24 at 2:30 pm

Aimed at professionals in the photographic and imaging industries and held annually at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, PhotoPlus Expo showcases the latest advances in photography. The annual event provides attendees with the opportunity to explore an inspiring array of photography, design, and imaging products and services – everything from image capture and color management to retouching and storage – all from the industry’s leading manufacturers. The show also offers more than 100 photography and design seminars and hands-on workshops taught by world-renowned experts with a focus on cutting-edge innovations in digital imaging products and techniques.

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About Lexar Media
Lexar Media is a leading designer, manufacturer, and marketer of NAND flash and DRAM memory products under the Lexar and Crucial® brand names. Lexar offers products in all major flash and DRAM memory categories, including consumer and enterprise-level USB flash drives, industry-leading memory cards for photography, and all popular form factors of memory cards for mobile devices. For computers, Lexar also offers a full range of DRAM computer memory upgrades for PCs and Mac® systems, and solid state drives (SSDs). An industry leader in innovative, patented flash memory technology, Lexar is vertically integrated with Micron Technology, one of the largest semiconductor manufacturers worldwide.

For more information about Lexar, visit www.lexar.com. For more information about Crucial products, visit www.crucial.com, www.crucial.com/uk or www.crucial.com/eu. Lexar Media, Inc. is a subsidiary of Micron Technology, Inc. Lexar Media is a division of Micron Europe Limited, a division of Micron Semiconductor Asia Pte. Ltd., and a division of Micron Japan, Ltd.

Lexar. When Memory Matters.â„¢

About Micron
Micron Technology, Inc., is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions. Through its worldwide operations, Micron manufactures and markets DRAM, NAND flash memory, CMOS image sensors, other semiconductor components, and memory modules for use in leading-edge computing, consumer, networking, and mobile products. Micron’s common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the MU symbol. To learn more about Micron Technology, Inc., visit www.micron.com.