Two New Post Processing Articles

Two new post processing articles have been uploaded to the fatphotographer how to post process pages, both covering sharpening techniques in Photoshop, but of different styles. Firstly the technique I usually employ, using the high pass filter: http://www.fatphotographer.net/links/how_to_post_process/photoshop_-_sharpening_-_highpass_method.html or the second covers the more standard way of sharpening using the Unsharp Mask (or USM): http://www.fatphotographer.net/links/how_to_post_process/photoshop_-_sharpening_-_unsharp_mask.html

 

Hopefully these will be useful to some of you, but we are always open to other peoples ideas on how to post process (or shoot for that matter) so please get in contact if you would like to write something for us.

New MAGIX PhotoStory

Today I thought I would see how well a press release would go down on this blog. So here it is - Press release:

UK, April 20^th 2011, MAGIX AG, One of the leading international providers of software, online services, and digital content, has announced the release of PhotoStory on CD & DVD 10.

With MAGIX PhotoStory on CD & DVD 10 you can turn your precious memories into unique experiences in no time at all! Simply import your pictures or videos from digital cameras, mobile phones, scanners or memory cards and transform them into mulitmedia slideshows. Add background music, effects and personalized text, and then burn your slideshow to disc complete with a DVD menu for you to enjoy on TV or PC.

You can optimize photos and enhance poor quality shots, with the originals remaining unchanged, or even combine a series of individual photos into a panorama. With the ability to present your creations online as a video player on your website or in online portals such as YouTube®, Flickr® and Facebook®, PhotoStory on CD & DVD 10 provides you with all the functions you need to easily impress any audience!

Features:

• New and entertaining deco elements and animations for all areas of use (holidays, weather, seasons, daytimes, people and many more).
• Simplified use with a new program interface and enhanced performance.
• Present photos directly on Facebook®, YouTube® or Flickr®.
• New improved performance and low resource demands.
• New export assistant for all common presentation purposes.
• New advanced options for individual zooms and camera pans.
• New zoomable video monitor to edit effects outside the image area.
• Plus Magix Xtreme Print Studio for custom CD and DVD cases and labels.
• Includes a full version of MAGIX Rescue Your Data worth £39.99.

New article post

I have today published a new article to Fatphotographer all about using macro photography to photograph moths (one of my other passions). You can read the article here. I hope you like it.

I have a few more articles lined up and ready to post, just need to add some images (these are about post processing and a couple of sharpening techniques, High pass filter and Unsharp Mask), I hope to have them live sometime over the weekend, but the weather is mighty fine so may have to go out and actually take some photographs instead (or take the family out somewhere?).

New Articles Uploaded

On lovely days like today there is nothing quite like being stuck inside working to focus your mind on a way out from behind the desk, and so with that in mind, I thought I would use my down time at work to write a couple of new how to post process… sections.

Firstly and article on keywording for stock photography sites. While I don’t profess to be a million selling photographer, I have enough knowledge to know how to get the details right for this subject. The article can be seen at: http://www.fatphotographer.net/links/how_to_post_process/stock_photography_-_keywording_tips.html

Secondly, and while still on a stock photography vein, an article about preparing images for stock site, OK it doesn’t contain exact details on what filters to use in Photoshop, but then I like to keep some of these things generic as we don’t all use the same photo editing software. This article can be seen at: http://www.fatphotographer.net/links/how_to_post_process/stock_photography_-_a_brief_guide_to_preparing_images.html

Please feel free to let me know what you think of them, I’d be interested to hear your feedback.

Photograph Submissions

Fatphotographer needs photographs of all regions of the world. In order to make us more attractive, we want your images, it would be very easy for me to visit one of the many stock sites located on the net and buy an image for use on each page (and it would be very cheap!!) but there would not be the same feel having images acquired in this manner. we would much rather have images from our readers.

And this is why we set up a Flickr group to make thing easier, simply visit the page and post an image if you would like us to consider using it for fatphotographer (we won't use the image without your approval and will contact you if we wish to use any image). All photographs contributed are given an extra link underneath the image along with copyright information (unfortunately we cannot pay for work at the moment). 

What better way to showcase your work than by having it seen by our many readers?

Spring has sprung.

On glorious, warm (20+ degrees) spring days like today (well yesterday, but that doesn’t flow so well in narrative terms) who wants to be stuck inside working? Fortunately I was on one of my days off so cast off the ideas of working on Fatphotographer and instead went for a walk with my Daughter in the local woods, and I’m glad I did.

The woods were alive with the sounds and sights of spring. Unfortunately the bluebells have not yet reached peak bloom, so rather than a carpet of blue, there was a smattering of the dancing flowers, but other plants were in full blossom or flower, which made for a pleasant colouring of the woods.

The trees were alive with spring birds, plenty of displaying tits, Chiffchaffs in full song everywhere, and the odd Blackcap warbling gloriously on their newly forming territories. Green woodpeckers were laughing throughout the ancient oaks, and plenty of Great spotted woodpeckers could be seen flitting from tree to tree with their looping flight.

At almost every turn different butterflies fluttered from flower to flower, from the stunning, but almost garish Brimstone to the subtly beautiful Orange tip, the delicate Holly blue, or the brightly adorned Peacock, with Comma, Tortoiseshell, Large and small white making up the remainder of species it was a wonderful stroll. Unfortunately photographing the butterflies was out of the question as my wonderful daughter thought she had to try a catch each one, with the cry of “butterfly, better get it” at each one, She was never going to come close, but no harm letting her try.

A new idea!

I’ve had a new idea which I am considering adding as a new monthly feature on Fatphotographer, I am thinking of starting to promote a Website of the Month!

So what will this mean? Well I guess it will mean the following:

• A link off the front page stating WEBSITE OF THE MONTH - **Link**
• A News article about the chosen site, detailing what I like. 
• A copy of the news article placed on this blog.
• Promotion on our Facebook page and twitter feed. 
• A permanent link added from this blog (from a new page accessed from the top link bar).
• A badge for your website stating Fatphotographer website of the month (see below):

Award badge design

I’ve come across some awful sites while building the links for fatphotographer, but I’ve also found some great sites, and what better way to show my appreciation than a website of the month advocating the great sites out there.

Now this website won’t necessarily be a professional photographer, and I guess it doesn’t have to be a photographer specifically but it will be from one of the many categories we already have on the site. These will not be paid for or sponsored sites, in case people think I might be biased by money (well I may be open to bribes), no these will be my own personal choice and will reflect what I like in a site and what I think looks good, although I am open to suggestions.

I'm happy to hear your thoughts on this idea.

Search Engine Optimisation

So for the past week I have been learning about Search Engine Optimisation, and it seems like cheating to me, so far most of my back links to http://www.fatphotographer.net have been natural, they come form photography related sites that want to put the links up (alright I have signed up to a couple of directories, and have actively asked a few camera clubs for links but they can, and some do, say no).

It seems though that to get anywhere near a high enough position on Google (other search engines differ but apparently if you get well ranked on Google other engines will also have you well positioned) to be easily found you need to boost you positioning through many more links then would naturally come your way.

So far I have resisted to blog troll, posting random comments on numerous blogs just to get more links from those posts (not that I don’t sometimes comment on blogs, but never for this reason). I have not joined hundreds of forums and spammed them just for links back in the signature of each post, I have forums I am a member of that I have links in my signature, but I was a member of the forum prior to setting up fatphotographer.

I have started to write articles for the likes of articlebase and ezinearticles but as I enjoy writing (and they are so far on topic) it isn’t a hard task to do, maybe in future these will be published on other sites and I will gain links from them, but who knows.

And yes I have a few blogs that I write on, hell you’re reading one, my moth blog is easily found (look to the links on the left) and my other blog is so unrelated, and kind of secret (I rant a lot and don’t want my friends to see some of it!!) that while I have a link back from it, I doubt many people will know of it (and no it is hidden on my profile so don’t bother looking).

One thought i have had is setting up another site for my photographic work and allowing the images to be used on other sites for free as long as i get a reciprocal link, but I am not sure, I may simply add more images to my flickr profile and use that instead, any one with any thoughts please feel free to comment.

So I find myself asking how can I optimise fatphotographer for web searches without becoming like the sites that spam and blog troll? Well lets be honest I have no idea, hopefully as we get more established, people will naturally want to link to us from various places.

Well if you fancy linking to us please feel free – http://www.fatphotographer.net