Today I just wanted to share a great photo resource and learning tool. Jeff Curto’s History of Photography podcast is gearing up for the fall semester. This podcast is actually a published recording of his in-classroom lectures, and is a great way to learn about the history of photography.

While very focused on the development of photography over the years, from technique to processes, it is a great way to learn how we have gotten to where we are.

There are snippets to inspire you, and you may just learn a few facts you never knew. The podcasts are enhanced with slides of the images being discussed, and it almost feels like you are in the classroom with him.

I’ll be listening, for like the 3rd time, join me. The first episode just dropped yesterday, so its the right time to jump in.

Later,

Michael

172 years ago today, the nation of France gave a gift to the world that just keeps on giving. They gave us the gift of photography by sharing Louis Daguerre’s invention of the daguerreotype process.

This process has been refined by others, William Henry Fox Talbot and George Eastman of note to me. Their contributions, with many others, have brought us to the photographic techniques we know and love today.

These gifts have allowed many artists to find their voice and add beauty (and sometimes ugliness) to our lives. They have also allowed every person the ability to supplement memories with images, giving us touchstones to our past, sometimes giving us glimpses of the future.

I’m looking at a photo of me as a child. I am sitting with my grandfather who has passed from this earth. Simultaneously I am in touch with my past and unknowingly I have been seeing the future with the same image. I look at myself in the image and note how much my son looks like me, and my father for that matter. But you never know it’s the future until the present, but the photo lets me see that fact.

A photograph is not merely a pretty picture. It is truthfully a fossil. Let me explain that analogy.

When we see, at its basest, our eyes are capturing light photons that are bouncing off the subject. These photos travel in a wavelength that denotes colors. Our eyes receive these wavelengths and process that data into images that allow us to interact with the world.

Cameras allow us to focus these wavelengths onto a medium, be it film or a digital sensor. When we take a picture, these photons, which just bounced off the subject, are altering silver halide or altering voltage on a silicon wafer, recoding the image of the subject.

This is creating our “fossil”. The image was created by photons physically changing silver halide molecules or digital sensors.

When we develop the film, or when the camera or we render the sensor data, we render an image with these crystals or data. We are still in a sense touching that very light that bounce off our subject.

When we make a print, that same light is in a sense being transferred to paper. We have captured light, and made it ours. Be it 5 minutes ago or 100 years, we are seeing what was then, we have frozen light, and in turn time. We have made lights ours and in a sense gained immortality.

The print you have on your wall or on your desk, it is a fossil. Much like fossils are the mineralized remains of life past, a photograph is the light of the past rendered in silver, dyes and inks. These silvers, dyes and inks allow modern light to create a time warp, letting us look back into the past.

We are gods who have mastered time. Thanks to France.

Happy World Photography Day!

From my sitting drafts, no images but some opinions. Sorry for the absence.

—

A Film Advantage…

Point and Shoot cameras. Now days we consider any pocket sized digital camera to be a point and shoot, but the origin of the term started in the film days, when fixed focus, single aperture cameras with usually only one shutter speed were introduced. Quite simply you pointed the camera at what you wanted to take a picture of and took a picture, not thinking required.

Modern digital point and shoots are much more sophisticated than these simple affairs, with auto focus, auto exposure and zoom. They are an example in convenience, ready to go and take that picture when you need it to. However, modern digital point and shoots have their downfalls.

First, their image quality is generally poor in comparison to modern DSLRs. A select few models can compete in the image quality game with the big cameras, such as the Canon G-Series. Over 90% of the point and shoot digitals shoot noisy, over compressed JPEG images that are usually only suitable for 4 inch by 6 inch prints.

Another downfall is their shutter lag. Have you ever used an digital point and shoot, find that decisive moment and push the shutter, only to find that the image you wished to capture was over before your digicam got around to taking the picture? If you have ever used a consumer grade digicam I know you understand what I am talking about.

To make a long story short, there is a huge trade off in image quality and performance when switching from a Digital SLR and a digital Point and Shoot. Personally, aside from a Canon G10 I occasionally use, I cannot stand shooting the pocket digital cameras. If I cannot have the speed of a DSLR with a reasonably close image quality, I feel I am wasting my time. To me, small, pocket digital cameras are a fantasy I am not to realize.

Now let’s step back into the world of film for a minute. You know, film point and shoots did not start and end with the fixed focus, toy style cameras. There are true Point and Shoots with all the Auto Focus and Auto Exposure features of modern digicams. Some even have zoom lenses, nice long ones at that. The best feature of these film Point and Shoots? There is no shutter lag and the image sensor is a full frame 24mm x 36mm.

Aside from that, some of the top of the line pocket cameras have some excellent optics. I recently picked up a Canon Sure Shot Z90W at the Goodwill for my son to have a new camera. Guess what? Good glass lens, with multiple elements and a decent lens coating. Hell, it even has an 18-90mm zoom lens at that. The camera comes loaded with Auto Focus, Auto Exposure, ISO capability from 25 to 3200 requiring DX coding and a crappy pop-up flash. Everything a digicam offers except for the convenience of digital images. The best part? The camera cost me five bucks.

While there is the ever present inconvenience of having to develop the film, not to mention the scanning or enlarging process, you garner much better images than most mid range digicams. Even Walgreens scans will normally be superior to digicam results.

And then the complete lack of shutter lag makes a huge difference. Most digicams use a form of contrast, generated from the image sensor itself. This takes time. Albeit, focusing methods in film point and shoots differ in technique and speed, on whole they are faster and more reliable, especially if you take time to locate a manual to learn about the method of focusing utilized.

Another advantage for film cameras is that they all use a viewfinder. Optical viewfinders are becoming increasingly rare in the digital market. Electronic viewfinders are an acceptable compromise, but those have been relegated to the higher end now days. Most digicams use the display for composition, requiring you to hold the camera away from the body, decreasing stability whilst shooting. This is a great way to lose a shot.

I’m starting to ramble a bit, so I will get to the gist of what I am getting at. In my opinion and experience, a film point and shoot is much more reliable than a digicam at successfully capturing a desired image. My backup camera is an Olympus Infinity Stylus Epic Limited, with a fixed 35mm lens rocking a f/2.8 aperture. I carry this beauty when I’m shooting digital, 35mm or medium format. It is reliable, fast and compact. I could carry the Canon I mention before if I know I need a longer lens, but rarely do I find the need. Loaded up with Portra 400, it produces great images that I can then scan and use, with great print quality at 11×14 and very usable well beyond. I can’t do that with most digicams or my beloved iPhone 4.

My Stylus slides easily into any pocket, and if needed I can spool up some Tri-X into a 1600 speed cartridge and get a great low light performer. At 1600 with an f/2.8 optic, I can capture images in low light with the beauty of pushed Tri-X. The noise generated by the small sensors of most all digicams make them useless to me by that point.

Really, it’s a personal thing, but I get better results day in and day out using a film point and shoot. Sure, I only get 36 shots, but I know those a quality chances… My experience with digicams tells me that they are not going to give me the same opportunity generally.

In short, give a film point and shoot a chance. You can find them at goodwill, yardsales, second hand stores or your parents basement. Generally you will never have to spend more than five bucks. You will have to pay for film and developing, but for the images you get it may well be worth it to you.

Back sometime,
Michael W. Gray

I am not going to go into details regarding my personal life, other than I discovered deep dark places I never want to venture into again. However, I have finally resurfaced, with the help of family and one very special person. That aside, it’s time to get my photographic life back in shape. All I really lost was 2010.

So, I still have no clue as to frequency of posts on LIDF for the foreseeable future, but I am going to make an effort to keep some fresh content up. My writing and development duties over at X-Equals take a precedent over LIDF, and I’m behind over there as well. So the next few months are a time to dig out and make a fresh start.

So content will be slow to come for a while, as I play catch up and attempt to redesign the blog. I have a few post ideas simmering, nothing major, but useful. Once I get my Kodachrome slides in, I will work up a piece on scanning Kodachrome.

Got a new product line of Lightroom presets coming up on X-Equals. XeL is a new preset platform, rethinking the way in which presets are used in Lightroom. There is a full series of XeL toolkits in the pipeline, which will be dropping throughout the year. In case any digital shooter are reading, hop over and check it out.

Also, in progress for a few months are two new eBooks. I have coming a book covering a SilverFast + Lightroom workflow, from prepping film to printed photos. There is also a version of the same book eschewing SilverFast, focusing on a VueScan + Lightroom workflow. Both books focus on how to get the best scan quality possible from consumer grade film scanners. Hope for both of these to be available by July as PDF, ePub, and Kindle files.

Well I’m going to wrap up for now. You all know I’m alive, and hope to be back helping revive film photography quickly. Catch me on Twitter @mwgray.

Be back soon.

Michael

Onto other news, my first film emulation presets for Lightroom since the launch of Cold Storage 2 are getting ready to go live with the X-Equals+Digest tomorrow. As you all should know, my film presets will no longer be release here on LIDF (although everything that has been released already will remain here). From now on, all my presets will be distributed through X-Equals, where I am a major contributor.

Tomorrow when the X-Equals+Digest starts hitting mailboxes, it will have a download for my newest releases, Konica Super XG 100 and Konica Super XG 200 for Lightroom. The presets have a new design, a bit different than what I have been releasing here, but for those using Lightroom 3, these are the first presets to have proper Grain presets included with the download. The image above is the sample image from the digest, showing (from left to right) the untouched image, Konica Super XG 100 preset and the Konica Super XG 200 preset.

If you are a fan of my emulation presets, please be sure to sign up for the X-Equals+Digest, as that is the only way to ensure you get the newest film presets free! I have no idea if we will offer them for download elsewhere, so if you want to get these while they are fresh sign up!

As always, these new free presets are bound for the next installment of the Cold Storage Collection, so if you miss them now they will be available later. But you can’t beat free, so get them early.

Until Next Time (Which will be soon!)

Michael

Change, it is somewhat of a constant in life, as contradictory as that may sound. Since LifeInDigitalFilm’s inception about a year and a half ago, the blog has made many little changes, shifts if you will, but never strayed too far from the original purpose. That purpose was to distribute my film emulation presets. However, as with all things in life, its time for a change.

Over the past year and a half, the mere task of emulating film has led me back into the warm embrace of the darkroom arts. I actually shot multiple rolls of each film I emulated to get an accurate feel for each film, both objective and subjective. For a while I was shooting just for the purpose of emulation, but the old Minolta Maxxum 7000 felt wonderful in my hands, and when the test rolls came out of the rinse I started to feel that old magic reignite.

Since the inception of LIDF, I have went from shooting 100% digital to shooting 20% digital and 80% traditional (I truly loathe the moniker ”Analog” for film photography). I still shoot digital for my paying jobs mostly, but almost all my personal work originated in silver salts embedded in gelatin. Keeping a digital focus on LIDF became work, both because I was enamored with the old ways and a guest spot on X-Equals led to becoming a regular contributor to the site. With the gwoing interest in film and a constant workload at X-Equals, LIDF began to suffer.

So recently, while working with Brandon of X-Equals on some upcoming projects, we discussed the future of LIDF. As it is, I am a major part of X-Equals, both in writing and product production, but I didn’t want LIDF to fade gently into the night. We can up with a plan together, which I am going to lay out to you now.

• LIDF has a new direction, one I have been slowly shifting toward over the course of the past year. LIDF is now going to focus on the needs and issues of the Hybrid Photographer. Those who choose to meld the strengths of film with the abilities afforded us by the digital darkroom. Using traditional and modern tools hand in hand to take the art of photography to the next level.
• To further this direction, LIDF will no longer have any digital content. From articles on digital photography to presets, including my film emulation presets. My articles relating to digital will now find a home on X-Equals, as they have been for over a year now.
• The film emulation presets will continue again in the future, they will be found at X-Equals from now on. Make sure to sign up for the X-Equals+Digest to be the first to get your hands on future Cold Storage film emulations. Also, sales of Cold Storage are no longer being done through LifeInDigitalFilm, X-Equals is the sole provider of my preset endeavors. The “Presets for Sale” link at the top of LIDF still works, but all sales are routed through X-Equals infrastructure. Or you can go to the X-Equals Store, instead.
• As X-Equals and LifeInDigitalFilm come more instep with one another, one focusing upon digital whilst the other upon film, there will be changes to LIDF. A new theme is in the works, replacing the excellent Mono theme I have been using. Also a change in hosting is very likely as well. I’ll keep you updated on any expected down time as those events move closer.

So now you know what is changing, here is some of what you can expect.

• Fresh articles on the arcane art of scanning. I started a series a while back on scanning, but other issues prevented me from getting it moving along, however they are well on their way to completion and posting.
• More in depth coverage of the two preeminent pieces of scanning software on the market. SilverFast and VueScan. I have touched upon these before, but both will be recieveing 30-Day Reviews, where I review the software after an intensive month with the software, in the coming weeks. Beyond the reviews, look forward to in-depth scanning workflows for both of these fine pieces of software.
• I’ll keep you up to date on new scanner releases as soon as I find out about them. Plus I will have reviews for the hardware I frequently use and share my thoughts and techniques with you.
• I love Lightrooom, and I find it just as powerful for the Hybrid Photographer as the Digital Photographer. We will look at the non-destructive workflow Lightroom offers, as we use the tools made for RAW files upon our scans.
• Plus, I will completely outline my personal scanning settings, which in the end become my fDNG files. 48-bit TIFFs wrapped up in a warm DNG blanket to provide additional security for your images as well as a litany of metadata to help you utilize your scans in Lightroom.
• We will experiment with some alternative photography methods, from printing in the darkroom from digital “negatives”, “scanning” slides using a DSLR enabling the use of RAW and HDR, to some traditional techniques that you may have never encountered.
• Dig deep into the world of development, from B&W to Color. We’ll even take a look at compounding our own chemisty to take our control of development to the next level.
• And more that I haven’t thought of. There is over 100 years of traditional technique and everyday there is more technology we can apply to the old ways.

So hang around and see what you think.

So let’s see whats coming up in the next moth, as I copy from the draft panel in WordPress.

• The Hybrid Photographer’s Toolkit: A series of posts in which I share what equipment I use and recommend to fully setup both your traditional and digital darkrooms. The stuff I have to have every day for support my hybrid workflow.
• 30-Days Reviews: I got both SilverFast and VueScan on deck and I will share my thoughts and observations made over a full month spent with each of these killer pieces of software.
• Film Photographer Profiles: As I recently introduced, I will continue to choose some of the most talented film photographers and share their work with you. To see what I mean, look back at my profile on the talented Nick Shere.

So keep dropping by and find out for yourself what I have in store for everyone. And don’t forget to add X-Equals to your required reading as well, especially if you were here for my presets and views on the digital world. Its been a great ride so far, I can’t wait to see where we go next.

Forgot to mention, LIDF now has a Flickr Group. Join up at the LifeInDigitalFilm – The Home of the Hybrid Photographer group and lets talk! If you want to hang out and wax poetice over the digital realm of photography catch me at the X-Equals flickr group, X-Equals on flickr – share, interact, inspire.

Michael W. Gray

I would like to than all of my readers for their continued support, especially through these times I get so busy with other work that I can’t find time to get fresh content up here. I am currently working with Brandon at X-Equals to bring LifeInDigitalFilm a bit more in step with the X-Equals operation, which would lead to more regular posts.

The first step I am taking with Brandon is moving all my preset packages that are for sale over to X-Equals, where Cold Storage is becoming part of the X-Equals Preset Platform. From there we will see what other changes may come, because I don’t know for sure yet either.

Next, there is going to be an even more decisive shift in direction at LifeInDigitalFilm. I feel that its time to move past the presets and become a full fledged film and hybrid photography blog. From here on out, 90% of everything posted to LifeInDigitalFilm will focus on film photography and scanning. There will be some Photoshop and Lightroom pieces, but there will be no more Film Emulations released on LIDF.

That is not to say the free emulations already up are disappearing, or that there will be no more. I will continue to make film presets for Lightroom, but I feel they no longer fit our scope here. So, to be sure you get my future film emulation presets please sign up for the X-Equals digest, where I will continue to release my presets for free. X-Equals is more centered on Lightroom than LIDF is, so its only fitting that I release my new presets there. So if you are not already signed up with the X-Equals digest, do so.

New posts will resume shortly here on LIDF, so please bear with the changes.

Michael

Today I want to introduce everyone to a photographer whose work has made a deep impact on me, and has been affecting my personal projects quite a bit of late. This is not a profile on the photographer, that may come later; for now this is simply a presentation of his work he has shared with the public.

Today I would like to ask you to take a few moments and reflect upon some of my favorite photos by Nick Shere (@kukkurovaca on Twitter). Nick is primarily a film photographer, as you can see from his body of work, but can also weild a DSLR with equal style.

Nick’s work of most interest to me is his unique urban landscapes and his street photography. Follow along with me as I take a look at a few of his photos from the past year that make a particular impact on me.

Nimitz Construction 

Koni-Omega Rapid // Koni-Omega Hexanon 60mm f/5.6

Kodak Tri-X 400 pushed to EI 1600

THis image shows what Nick easily accomplishes that I often strive for. Extraordinary in the ordinary. This image is one that many would simply pass by, not giving the scene a second thought. Here Nick created an image that creates great tension through great utilization of unique textures along with a series of converging lines drawing your eye right to the center of the image. An otherwise mundane scene, that would have unlikely worked in color, is transformed into an image of interest through great composition and the choice of black and white film, which removes the distraction of color and forces you to only consider the composition and textures within. The Tri-X film provided smooth tones with good contrast, pushing the film provided the additional shutter speed to freeze the moment, while the Koni-Omega (being medium format) allows for the push while still retaining a reasonably fine grain.

Church (IR)

Nikkromat FT-2 // 2.8cm f/3.5 H

Efke IR820 Aura exposed at EI 3

When creating an image on infrared film, choice of subject is important. You want to get a good contrast in the image, while making sure that you have something in frame that makes the IR effect bloom. Nick’s composition here is simple and straight forward. The church rides on the left third, the tree on the right third. The road at the bottom rises at an angle, leading you eye right up the tree branch into the infrared glow. A simple image, but with simple comes elegance. The angle of light in the frame further enhances the image, creating brightness in the shadow area that is the church, which primarily serves as a good backdrop for the beauty of the tree interpreted on infrared film. The interplay of highlights and shadows contributes to the image as much as the composition itself. One could argue that the expose could be more dead on, but the exposure presented showcased the unique aspect of the film well, and when shooting IR you have to always keep in mind the essence of your medium and utilize it.

Flood Control Station, Sunset

Voigtlander Bessa R // Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7

Kodak Portra 160NC Expired

Another one of those shots that is easy to pass by, however Nick saw it and conquered. The lighting of the day lend toward enhancing the water that rules the bottom two thirds of the frame. The reflection of the tree adds content to the otherwise spartan face of the water and the light provides a smooth gradient from bright white to deep blue. The structures across the top and right of the frame use their angular nature to move your eye to the primary subject of the image, the hose snaking through the water, with its diverging line causing your eyes to snake right along with it from the top to the bottom. An amazing image.

Rainy Morning Commute

Olympus XA

Portra 160NC

A unique take on street photography, from inside a vehicle to the outside, depicting the platform and rainy weather outside. The image conveys the feeling of dry warmth on the inside, while allowing the cold, wet environment of the outside seep through. The image captures the passengers going about their activities; drinking coffee, reading and apparently simply fidgeting. The rain streaked glass blurs away the people trying to stay dry outside… you can almost feel them shivering. The choice of film for this application helped to make a very natural feel, helping you to further immerse yourself in the scene.

Lightning

Koni-Omega Rapid

Kodak Portra 400VC

One look and ask yourself, would you have taken the shot considering the light? Nick did, and with great timing created a great image.At first you might think that the woman in the steps is the subject, but I would disagree. To me, the subject is the streak of light running across the frame. Most of the image is pure black, with less than a tenth of the image actually lit. A lit sign, person and some flare. That is the content of the light breaking the firmament of darkness. An unconventional image the impress thoroughly.

Welcome to Ferry Plaza

Nikkormat FT-2 // 50mm f/1.4 S

Kodak Portra 400VC

Street photography can be a technical skill, but to me it is more about conveying the feeling of a time and place, much like photojournalism. That is not to say that composition is not a prime component of street photography, it is simply more important to capture the moment. The mix of people and activity, the bridge spanning the top of the frame, all leads to a very interesting photo. What I believe makes this image special to me is the sign dominating the left of the frame, clearly announcing to the viewer exactly where they are and what they are viewing. Even have a photographer hiding behind the sign taking an image of her own at the same time. A simple moment captured, allowing the view to further extrapolate upon what is occurring at and beyond this single moment. Nick captured the essence of street photography here in my opinion.

Tourist Crossing

Bessa R // Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5

Kodak Portra 400VC

Another prime example of what I like in street photography. At first glance the image is mundane, but as you take in the atmosphere, notice the subtle complexity of composition, you can start to appreciate the moment frozen in time. Much like the previous picture, the image conveys feeling and location well. And the natural color palette of the Portra 400 VC lends the feeling of reality, allowing the view to be swept away into the scene. Simplicity sometimes can create excellence, and in my opinion that stands through here.

Long Halloween

 Voigtlander Bessa R // Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7

Kodak Portra 160NC

Verging away from both street and landscape, this image is simply a still life. This is a prime example of choosing an interesting subject. The collapse jack o lantern and aged furniture create a homely feel, especially when framed against the rather modest home. The interplay of light and shadow add to the complexity and the reflections in the mirror even convey, slightly, the presence of the photographer. As you view Nick’s work you come to understand he really has an eye to make the ordinary something more. A large part of a photographers job is to choose interesting subjects and Nick is a master of finding interest in the mundane. 

Limits

Bessa R // Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.5

Kodak Portra 160VC

Here Nick deftly combines both his natural feel for street photography with his take on urban landscapes and throws in a healthy does of “fine art” to boot. I could go on about how technically perfect the image is, the great choice of film for great colors, but that would be excessive. Quite simply this image is pure composition. It would work in any photographic medium; digital, film, color, black and white, 35mm, large format and even instant film. It is a composition of such complexity, with the added benefit of great timing that pulls a simple photo from the ranks of snapshot to a once in a lifetime image. The lines in the image are all straight, riging either the horizontal or vertical, with little diagonals present. The textures of the image come together to prove a sense of real depth. A splash of green upon rather earthy tones helps the image come to life. Col. Sanders is also dressed quite dapper for the photo. But the real subject here is the sculpture and the man seeming to walk into it, as if entering a portal. This image is magic and transcends technique and art… it simply is.

Hopefully you found my selections from Nick’s Flickr stream of interest. Don’t stop here, jump over to his Flickr stream and actually take a stroll through his body of work. There are other great nuggets to be found, especially some of his avian photography. I chose only his film shots here on purpose, both because Nick primarily shoots film and because I really wanted some of you to see what film can still accomplish. Hopefully seeing some of Nick’s work has given you a bit more appreciation for the capabilities of the film media.

For more from Nick Shere, take a look at some of his ongoings around the web:

On Twitter: @kukkurovaca - A great follow, especially if you are into scathing wit.

On Flickr: Kukkurovaca

On the Web at Large:

nickshere.com

I Can See it For You Wholesale 

1/125

Hope you all enjoyed the change of pace!

Michael

And finally, a new preset. In fact there will be a couple of presets in the next few weeks. Primarily to save me time. A release of a preset I already have done take very little time, whereas the longer posts I have been writing take a considerable amount of time. Right now I got some pretty special projects I need to pay attention to, so I need to ease up a bit on writing to focus on these tasks at hand. Of which completing the guide to Cold Storage 2 is at the top of my list. Yep, I finally got another batch of Film Presets ready to sell, but I need to make sure the guidebook had all the tips needed to get the most out of the presets.

And then there are a few more thing coming up that I will fill you in on as time gets closer. Something big is coming, but I can’t say more than that except don’t switch to Aperture!

On the note of other projects, LifeInDigitalFilm has teamed up again with X-Equals; this time providing a collection of presets to give your creativity a kick in the pants. X-Equals and LifeInDigitalFilm are proud to release our newest product, Creative Production Presets Vol. 1. This collection brings together many of the creative presets that have been provided through X-Equals, designed both by Brandon and myself. With more than 75 presets you should have plenty to experiment with to help you unlock your creativity. At $14.99 this collection is a bargain compared to many similar creative preset collections with the added bonus to LIDF reader, a selection of film emulations including some unreleased. Hop over to X-Equals and check it out and consider supporting both X-Equals and LifeInDigitalFilm by making that purchase.

Now onto the matter at hand. We got a unique preset today that you would never see in the real world, due to technical difficulties. You never see Kodachrome treated with bleach bypass development. First, only Dwayne’s of Parsons, KS still develops the stuff so special processing is hard to come by. Second, the K-14 process is unique and I am unsure if it is even possible to perform a bleach bypass on the film. Finally, there is already some residual silver present in most Kodachrome slides, and if completely lef tin, the silver may make the image too dense.

However, I can emulate the probable appearance of a Bleach Bypassed Kodachrome. Obviously this is a stretch, but the world of digital allows us some liberties with reality, right? The Kodachrome Bleach Bypass preset has a tone curve and other setting reminiscent of my other bleach bypass endeavors while stealing the basic color from my Kodachrome 25 preset. I had to adjust the color on the Kodachrome 25 settings to allow for reasonable skin tones for the bleach bypass look, but aside from that it is still fairly faithful.

This is designed to be a fun, creative preset whilst staying in line with the film focus of LifeInDigitalFilm. The concept is firmly rooted in the traditional photographic world in theory if not in practice.

Have fun, and if you are interested in my more creative presets, not limited by the confines of traditional photography, check out my preset work over at X-Equals.

Until Later,

Michael

TTG Pages is a complimentary product to TTG Highslide Gallery Pro. However instead of creating galleries, TTG Pages lets you create elegant websites, easily, right from Lightroom. Now understand, these are not Dreamweaver masterpieces; but solid, simple, elegant websites. TTG Pages is a great front end for the varying TTG Galleries. TTG Pages makes it easy to create specialty websites, such as weddings, online exhibitions and even your online portfolio. TTG Pages is the go to software for quick design, creation and deployment of small, custom sites directly from Lightroom.

Installation of TTG Pages is a simple affair, although if you are not familiar it can seem intimidating. Web engines are not a simple menu click affair like importing presets, you have to manually move the files directly into your Lightroom settings folder. Instructions for installing Web Engines can be found on The Turning Gate site. Along with the Web Engine, the TTG Pages download includes a number of preconfigured Web Templates, allowing a quick redesign of the elements that make the web page with a simple click. Installation instructions for the template again can be found at The Turning Gate.

Once the installation is complete, just fire up Lightroom. Select a few photos you want to use to decorate you webpage and click on the Web Module. From here, simply click on TTG Pages in the Web Engine palette on the right tool panel of the Web Module.

Give Lightroom some time now, as it is prepping your selected images and rendering a web page viewable in the preview panel. From here you can select from a selection of pre-made web templates for TTG Pages, or mosey on over to the right tool panel and start scrolling through your options.

TTG Pages provides a myriad of settings to help create the perfect website for your needs. Everything can be adjusted from the right tool panel, leaving you no HTML that you have to deal with. Not saying you can’t tweak the resulting web page, it is just that you don’t have to. It will be fully functional on export.

What is tricky is text. In most tools, not designed for Lightroom, you would simply type text onto the web preview. Formatting already would be applied. However, due to limitations of Lightroom’s design (I mean, Lightroom is not really a webpage editor) you cannot format paragraphs on you pages. However, Matthew found a nice way around that and has separate text boxes on the tool palette for up to five paragraphs on a page. Most times this will be all you would need.

TTG Pages automatically generates a number of pages automatically. The bare basics are a front page, an about page, a gallery page and a contact page. From here you can also add hotlinks for linking to other pages and TTG Pages even has an easy to use contact form for the contact page that can forward comments and questions directly to an e-mail account.

The gallery page automatically takes one of your selected images and creates a link to a gallery. TTG Pages does not create galleries; you would need to use another TTG gallery engine such as TTG Highslide Gallery Pro. However, TTG Pages is designed to automatically link to galleries you produce when you follow the simple instructions on the TTG pages site.

I am really just touching the tip of the iceberg here, TTG Pages is a powerful tool and used in conjunction with TTG Highslide Gallery Pro it was to be the quickest way to create stunning websites to show off your images. Once you finish you website you can either save it locally to fine tune and upload, or you can directly upload your new site directly from Lightroom.

This review is rather brief, as I do not want to go too in depth, as I am working on a complete tutorial walking you through the use of TTG Pages and TTG Highslide Gallery Pro, from start to finish, to make a “boutique” website, such as that for a wedding or portfolio. It is shaping up to be quite in-depth in both applications, but quite easy to follow. So if this does not generate interest in TTG Pages, I am sure the walkthrough will. In fact I am working on my own special project currently utilizing both of these tools.

Here is a sample site, created with TTG Pages. I did not fill out the page at all, used the standard design and did not upload galleries. Since there are no galleries in the gallery folder, there is no previews shown in the Gallery Index. This is just a sample to play around with, and is only temporary, as I will link my project I am working on here to show exactly what TTG Pages can do.

Overall, I found TTG Pages to be a well-rounded piece of software. It is fast, simple and create fine website. Using TTG Pages on its own has limited appeal, but in conjunction with another TTG product or two you have a complete design solution for quick and elegant websites. If you already have a TTG gallery product installed, TTG Pages is a must have. TTG Pages makes it easy to create an great frontend to present your galleries.

TTG Pages is available at The Turning Gate for $25 USD.

Later,

Michael

P.S.

US Legal BS: I was provided with a review copy of the software and received no other form of compensation for this review.