The Aperture Users Network Launches MacCreate.com

The Aperture Users Network just announced the launch their new sister site: MacCreate.com. According to a recent e-mail I received, MacCreate is “dedicated to providing information and resources for the creative Mac user…MacCreate.com provides instruction on programs in Apple’s iLife and iWork suites, pro applications as well as third party programs.”

After taking a look at the site, I’m very impressed by the content that’s already there, including:

• Facebook posting from iPhoto in just a few steps;
• Assigning a place in iPhoto; and
• How to make Quick Keywords in iPhoto

The site’s home page can be found at MacCreate.com.

Great Article/Checklist on TWiPphoto.com on How to Unbox a New Camera

I just read a great article by Scott Bourne of TWiPphoto.com about how to unbox a new camera. I think that posts like this are outstanding and rarely covered because they are not necessarily “sexy.”

To add a small item on a related subject, I think that testing all the lenses you own with the camera on a tripod, shooting at a map or other flat object using autofocus at a fairly wide open aperture (f4 or f5.6) in good lighting can help to determine if the sensor and lens are properly in sync with regard to focus (many lenses have “issues” in one or more of the corners of the frame, which can show up as slight blurriness/darkening/chromatic aberrations). If all your lenses show a problem (such as blurriness in the same area), that may point to a problem with the sensor.

You can read Scott’s 15 steps here on TWiPphoto.com. The comments from readers/listeners of the site are also always worth a look.

Photographer Ron Wyatt to Speak in NYC 2/20/2009

A good friend of mine, Ron Wyatt, will be speaking this evening, 2/20/2009 at the Apple Retail Store on 14th Street in New York City. Ron will primarily be showing photographs from his recent trip to China, and he will share tips and advice about how he photographed the Olympic Games in Beijing in the Summer of 2008.

Ron’s photographs are fantastic, and you can see many more of his images here.

Location: Apple Retail Store: 401 W 14th Street New York City, NY 10014
Date: Friday, February 20, 2009
Time: 7pm
Admission is free, though seating is limited.