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<title>News - John C Larson Photography</title><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/index.html</link><description>Blog about photography&#x2c; business&#x2c; marketing photos&#x2c; promoting photos&#x2c; etc.</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><dc:rights>&#xa9; 2006 - 2008  John C Larson</dc:rights><dc:date>2008-08-09T10:50:45-07:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:47:00 -0700</lastBuildDate><item><title>Photographer&#x27;s Forum Photography Finalist</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2008-08-09T10:50:45-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/530a1ef480c4f9f30462274e48dc6d29-133.html#unique-entry-id-133</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/530a1ef480c4f9f30462274e48dc6d29-133.html#unique-entry-id-133</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A week or two ago (yeah yeah I&rsquo;m way late to report this) I received some mail that stayed on my kitchen counter for a few days before I picked it up again.    While going through some old mail I noticed a particular envelope from some company called, Serbin Communications.    I assumed it was just junk mail and was about to trash it but at the last second I decided to open it just in case.


To my surprise it was notification of the fact that one of my photographs is a finalist in Photographer&rsquo;s Forum Magazine&rsquo;s 28th Annual Spring Photography Contest.    I suppose it was a good thing I opened the envelope after all.


I had actually entirely forgotten about this contest I entered sometime before April of this year.    Of 11 photographs I entered, the following has been picked as a finalist.


The contest&rsquo;s web site states the actual winner&rsquo;s and honorable mentions will be notified by August 15, a few days away.    Although I have doubts my photo will earn 1st prize, it would be nice to have the distiction as well as a new camera.    I&rsquo;m happy with honorable mention at this point in my career.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>2 Softboxes</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2008-07-13T00:00:03-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/a6e08368855e38e3cbd95495f25685c5-132.html#unique-entry-id-132</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/a6e08368855e38e3cbd95495f25685c5-132.html#unique-entry-id-132</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A couple of weeks ago I sold my Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens on eBay.  ...  When I decided to sell the lens I thought I could use the money to buy the Canon 180mm macro lens, a lens I&rsquo;ve been wanting for a while now, or buy some lighting gear and other miscellaneous things.  

...I also bought another Dell LCD display as my 21&rdquo; Apple monitor saw its last days a few months ago.  

...I&rsquo;m thinking of getting two pocket wizards so I can control my Alien Bees strobes and get rid of the 20 or 30 foot sync cord.    I have 2 already but I &lsquo;d like to have one for each Alien Bee and one for my Canon speedlight in case I want to use all 3 together.


...I wanted to two highlights on the apple with the smaller being narrow and next to a spot of black.    I used a sheet of black foam core to block one of the softboxes, which gives the small band highlight in the upper right hand side of the apple,  and provides the dark shadow next to the small highlight.  ...  I didn&rsquo;t realize it at the time, but the table&rsquo;s fake wood grain is seen through the diffusion sheet.    Something I didn&rsquo;t want but later thought it added some color and mood to the background (bright shiney apple on top of a white-brown background).


...Taking self portraits is interesting as it requires some luck in compenstion but it allows me to keep trying depending if I feel up to it.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>4 photos at the Infusion Gallery of LA</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><dc:subject>Blog</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-06-03T23:58:48-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/3245f69706abfb4c153f0da1c3ffee9c-131.html#unique-entry-id-131</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/3245f69706abfb4c153f0da1c3ffee9c-131.html#unique-entry-id-131</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have 4 of my photographs on display and for sale at the Infusion Gallery of downtown LA during the month of June.


Also, I&rsquo;ll be at the gallery on evening of the opening reception, June 12th.    You can visit their June 2008 page for a sampling of the artwork that will be on display this month including my own.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Parsec....you came back</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-04-04T21:22:49-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/68e0376d13b0a8f729b1085384f60b1c-130.html#unique-entry-id-130</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/68e0376d13b0a8f729b1085384f60b1c-130.html#unique-entry-id-130</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm sure it'll happen eventually and I'm happy just to have it on display.


My next show is in June (6/1-6/25) at the Infusion Gallery in downtown LA.  4 photographs instead of 1!


At the moment I updated my portfolio (check it out by clicking on the link on the right) and I'm trying to make a nice fancy CD of my portfolio so I can have it reviewed by other galleries and anyone else.  ...  At least on the Mac OS, I want to CD to auto open its main window which it does but also reveal the custom layout that I've spent too much time on.  ...  Once I have it figured out I plan on mailing it to several galleries for review in hopes they like my work.


Also, I want to contact the people at the Infusion Gallery to see if they would be cool with me having several books of my work available at the gallery during the time my work will be on display.    Since I'm not in a solo show, they may not like the idea but on the other hand the books may help sell my photos so they may like it.    The books are cheap books you get through Aperture and iPhoto and I plan on having around 50 pages per book of 50 or so of my photographs inside.  ...  If I get a few people to at least just visit my web site after thumbing through the pages, then I say they're successful.    I may also have the CDs available too but I thought the book would be better because books don't have additional requirements (gotta have a computer to view the contents of the CD) to view them and thus people get instantaneous viewing.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>In the studio...part II</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-03-21T19:29:54-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/dc1d4f45f073a1f2a36d5a4001349542-129.html#unique-entry-id-129</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/dc1d4f45f073a1f2a36d5a4001349542-129.html#unique-entry-id-129</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I still need to work on creating a good sweep, lighting the background so that the light is evenly spread (this seems easy and probably is but for some reason was rather challenging for me), pocket wizards are great (hope to buy another soon), learned how to make a cardboard grid which seems to work better than my cardboard snoot at giving me a spot light, I should start shooting tethered to my computer and I should also review my work on my computer before moving on and I'm sure far more but that's enough for now.


...I think it'll be good in the future but just to get me started I don't want any distracting elements such as the tray's wood trim and handle getting in the picture.  

...After stumbling across another photographer's work and seeing him use flowers submerged in water and then freezing the water, I thought it would be cool to try introducing air bubbles to the flower (obviously had to submerged the flower in water first).  ...  I tried my first attempt at this a few months ago but was stuck by not knowing how to control the flower so it stands still and didn't know how to put air bubbles on the petals.


...I actually bought the 2nd cheapest pump as the cheapest was battery powered and I didn't want to bother with even more batteries (I have enough stuff on battery power as it is).    I went through a few nearby isles just to see what they had and ran across some fancy do-dad that will break the air up into smaller bubbles.  

...I just need to find a way to get lots of bubbles on the petals without destroying the flower and frustrating me.


...Perhaps not the greatest picture, but I was rather proud of myself for coming up with the idea, the use of the pins idea, and for the execution of the picture itself.


...So I placed some hand made reflectors (cardboard bent in half to as a support for two pieces of white paper taped to the cardboard) which gives it not only light up front but also a nice white reflection in the chrome.  

...Something I didn't notice until I review the images on my computer (which is why I should be shooting tethering and regularly reviewing my work on a monitor).]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>DIY stuff</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-03-21T18:10:00-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1d97b8e055e04a9d638126a0f6d50f42-128.html#unique-entry-id-128</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1d97b8e055e04a9d638126a0f6d50f42-128.html#unique-entry-id-128</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Instead of using glue, I used scotch tape because I don't have any glue in my entire apartment (surprised me).    To help reinforce it and minimize any twisting, I placed a small piece of cardboard on each ends (the ends that have the cuts).    I then placed a long strip of cardboard on the same sides which allows me to attach the grid to the speedlight using velco straps.  

...Several years ago when I bought my 100mm Macro lens (continues to be my favorite lens btw) I tried to construct a very simple table top studio using an old TV shelf, white foam core, and a few clamps that have suction cups attached to them.    I haven't seen these clamps mentioned anywhere on the net (sites that have to do with photography and DIY) so I thought I'd mention them here.  

...In the past two weeks I've used these clamps more than I've ever used them in the last 3-4 years I've owned them.    I realized they are great providing a quick and easy way to attaching a black card or a reflector to a light stand, holding my backgrounds up on the wall (my wall is partial wall, partial window), and of course just holding things together for whatever purpose.   ...  After looking at their site, they no longer list this particular clamp (don't see any with a suction cup).  ...  The reason I think they are so cool is they are small, light weight, don't put too much clamp force which is good in case you are dealing with delicate stuff, and I've found several uses for them in the studio.


...They work great at holding my DIY grid and color filters my Canon speedlight and since they have no glue, they aren't permeant and thus they are reusable.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>In the studio...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-03-15T00:14:11-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/aa6e2997944a71f0c70ad99d20a6069b-127.html#unique-entry-id-127</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/aa6e2997944a71f0c70ad99d20a6069b-127.html#unique-entry-id-127</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[All last week I had the week off from my day job so I spent as much time as I could shooting in my tiny studio.    I haven't had a camera in my hands as much as I would like and I wanted to learn some lighting techniques.    Some of the pictures didn't turn out great, but I think it was a great learning experience for me.  

...After reading an online article, I decided to construct a box that allows me to light from the bottom.  

...Its basically an articulated arm that allows you to hold things such as reflectors or sticks or flowers, or whatever out of the way.    I've found they are very useful in the studio to hold up whatever I may need wherever I may need.  ...  Plus, I can cut about 3" off of a side to use with my speedlights and still have enough left over for the strobes.  

...Seems like a fun thing to shoot that hopefully doesn't require too much prep time like food photography.    I plan on shooting using window light to get that classic food photography look as well as with some strobes and speedlights.  

...I don't have an exact total but I guess I've taken 2000-3000 pictures last week.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Pictorialism</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-02-24T15:05:38-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/667e0add5c6a1579134291607b750a71-126.html#unique-entry-id-126</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/667e0add5c6a1579134291607b750a71-126.html#unique-entry-id-126</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In my bio (About John), I mention I have picked up an interest in Impressionism as a result of my style of photography.    Some time this year I realized I also have in interest in Pictorial photography for the same reason as Pictorialism in some ways mirrors Impressionistic paintings.


Anyway, this photographic movement seems rather lost in time as not many people are aware of it or it they do they prefer the f/64 group view on photography (everything must be rendered sharp).    I watched a few segments of a multi-segmented documentary on photography by the BBC and while they were talking about the time period just before Pictorialism they completely skip over it and head straight into war-time photojournalism.  ...  Love it or hate it, the movement has a profound influence on much of the photography we see today in just about every magazine.    If it weren't for Pictorialism, there would be nothing for the members of the f/64 group to rebel against.


I recently picked up a couple books on the movement.    My favorite is the book on Europe's take (see Impressionist Camera).  

...I would love to join a local, regional, or even national pictorial photo club/group.    If anyone knows of one or wants to create one, please contact me ASAP.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Shooting Glass</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-02-24T15:05:21-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/94b33e4067bcaf6b755b5bc3d2310d54-125.html#unique-entry-id-125</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/94b33e4067bcaf6b755b5bc3d2310d54-125.html#unique-entry-id-125</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I borrowed a shooting tent which I thought might help me get good diffused light on the glass as I don't have softboxes and was told umbrellas probably won't do the trick.  ...  After a 4 hour break, I quickly gave up on the tent and decided to try using two strobes very close together acting as a single light source and a big circular diffusor (probably 36" in diameter).    I then placed some black felt down the middle of the diffusor which will give me black glass with white out lines (that's the goal anyway).


...I played around with the distance the subject was from the light source which does have an affect of the thickness of the white lines on the glass.  

...It was getting late in the night so I decided to go back to my original set up as I knew I could that to work.  ...  No matter how I varied the size of the black felt on the light source or played with the distance the subject was from the black felt, I kept on getting reflections on the glass subject; very frustrating.    A few questions I believe will help me get consistent results in the future:  what determines the width of the black felt in my white on black setup?  ...  What do I need to do to allow for a wider black felt strip but also give me the same results?


...This picture may be too small for you to see, but at the bottom of this bottle I see very odd reflections.  ...  Plus I can see what I believe is 2 or 3 different reflections of my circular diffusor but I'm not entirely certain as it appears rather warped (notice the read egg shaped thing).  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Shootin&#x27; Through</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-02-24T14:58:19-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/597ae6361adaa8cae5198b090b12c306-124.html#unique-entry-id-124</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/597ae6361adaa8cae5198b090b12c306-124.html#unique-entry-id-124</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On Friday I decided to run to the supermarket and buy a bouquet of flowers and shoot them using light from a north facing window.    The light in that window is create because there is never direct sunlight and the light is always very diffuse.


I'm discovering bouquets of flowers are great to shoot because the other flowers and plants help establish far more interesting backgrounds instead of a solid boring black, white, etc.    The other stuff in the bouquet not only act as a background but also an interaction between background and subject and as you'll soon notice a blurring of foreground and background into one.


I soon realized that the bouquet isn't enough of a background as I was noticing the color of my carpet, table, windows, and even sky and clouds appearing in the distant background.    So I decided to get a white towel to place on top of the table which worked wonderfully.    I don't think I have used a white background before and was quite pleased with the results.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Group Show in LA</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-02-24T14:49:54-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/96ef4b5dc1c8747e8548d6e09354d4ae-123.html#unique-entry-id-123</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/96ef4b5dc1c8747e8548d6e09354d4ae-123.html#unique-entry-id-123</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have an upcoming group gallery showing of 4 of my photographs in the month of June.    The name of the gallery is Infusion Gallery of LA.  

...I hope to be there the evening of the opening reception.    Although not my first gallery show, my first with 4 photographs and my first actually being there seeing them on a wall for all to see (I plan on attending the evening of the 12th).


So when I heard the gallery was interested in my work of course I was pretty excited.    A few days ago I suddenly realized that my work isn't finished.    Its an accomplishment to get my work in a gallery but I still need to convince people to buy the prints.    That then leads to me to figuring out how to advertise and convince people to come to a group show, not a solo show.    I don't know many people living in or around LA.    How do I convince either complete strangers to show up or people I do know living in the Bay Area to drive several hours just to see 4 photographs?  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lightroom preferences (mac os x only)</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-01-30T21:39:22-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/a18f6a49b30209582667c10d4d5d95d3-121.html#unique-entry-id-121</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/a18f6a49b30209582667c10d4d5d95d3-121.html#unique-entry-id-121</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I decided to take a look at Lightroom's preferences using OS 10's defaults command earlier this evening.


...Seems useful in the library, but I can't imagine adjusting images using my voice as it seems too difficult for the end user.  

...	NOTES:  I set it to 2 and it appeared slower and I set it to 0 and it appeared faster.  

...	-I haven't tried modifying this setting's value but I assume changing its number will affect the amount of shading Lights Out mode has.


...	-I see "progress", "view", and "visible" and I immediately assume this enables/disables a progress window, sheet, etc.    However, whenever I change this to YES, the app seems to reset it to NO on launch.     Thus I have yet to see this functioning with its value set to YES.


...	-Switching this over to YES and then launch Lightroom, you'll immediately notice some sort of debugging window.    However I have yet to figure out how to use it.    Please let me know if you find a use for this.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lightroom Configurations</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2008-01-26T16:47:16-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0de1a7ae67f4651fc61b49728fd27dc2-120.html#unique-entry-id-120</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0de1a7ae67f4651fc61b49728fd27dc2-120.html#unique-entry-id-120</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I don't have much to report at the moment as I've been rather busy with my day job.


I mailed my print to The Center of Fine Art Photography for the upcoming group exhibit this morning.    And I have been invited to participate in another group show (should have 4-5 photos in this one) which will be in the Spring or Summer of this year.    I'll have more details of the show hopefully soon.


I just stumbled on an interesting web site earlier today that allows users of Lightroom to modify which metadata fields are shown, how they are displayed, etc.    Visit this blog entry on Jeffrey Friedl's Blog for more info.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Happy New Year</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2008-01-03T21:29:13-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/37147c4083c432733ba0602f36a3fb67-119.html#unique-entry-id-119</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/37147c4083c432733ba0602f36a3fb67-119.html#unique-entry-id-119</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Due to a bug in RapidWeaver 3.6.4, I have a few pages on this site that won't load.    Not sure why but it seems to be a problem with TIFFs converted to JPEG using Photoshop CS3.    If I export those same TIFFs to JPEG using Lightroom 1.3.1, I don't see the problem.    Anyway, hopefully someone at Realmac Software will help me out with it soon.


A few nights ago I decided to create 2 sets of goals for my photography.    One set is devoted to the actual photography and the other set is devoted to promotion and the business side of things.  ...  And the idea is to accomplish each goal by the end of 2008.    I hope to settle on a finalized listing by the weekend.


Speaking of weekends, I plan on finishing up all my requirements for my upcoming group exhibition by the end of the weekend.    Also I hope to have my office / studio organized and unpacked by then as well.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Entry Call Success</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-12-11T23:55:00-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/b4ea5ed3a44e3920aeb278a3144f8857-118.html#unique-entry-id-118</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/b4ea5ed3a44e3920aeb278a3144f8857-118.html#unique-entry-id-118</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I've been too busy moving into a new apartment, Thanksgiving and now Christmas, and at work I'm going at full steam to take any photographs.    I did get a chance a few days around Thanksgiving but nothing too interesting, mostly pictures of the family.    But I get the week of Christmas off from work so maybe I can get something going even for just a few hours one day that week.


I just received an email from The Center of Fine Art Photography ( www.c4fap.org ) informing me that the results of one of their entry calls has been posted to their web site.    Although I'm busy now and haven't done much promoting and marketing of my work for about a month now, I did enter maybe 5 - 7 gallery entry calls.    One in particular I tried to hit fairly hard by entering 9 of my best work.  

...I'm happy to announce that I have been selected (along with 47 other people) and will have one of my photographs (shown below) displayed for sale at the center.    The center, for those that are interested, is located in Fort Collins, CO.    And the gallery show is from February 29, 2008 to March 22, 2008.


Since the exhibit is in March of next year, maybe I should take a trip to Fort Collins, CO.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>iVMP to LR Applescript</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-11-03T00:43:57-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/a25b1603ba368ec8cab0929c9b69018d-117.html#unique-entry-id-117</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/a25b1603ba368ec8cab0929c9b69018d-117.html#unique-entry-id-117</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I use the tool quite a bit for reading metadata from image files but for some reason its writing capabilities totally escaped me until someone at work reminded that it will do what I need it to do.


For a month or two I have been on the hunt for a tool that will aid me to move particular metadata (ratings, keywords , and title are most important to me) from my iView Media Pro catalogs to Lightroom.    For some reason I thought I needed a XMP merge utility which I couldn't find.  iVMP is Applescript scriptable, but Lightroom isn't (thanks Adobe).    I tried to script Photoshop CS3 but never found a way to set an image's rating (don't know why this isn't available).


Like I said eventually someone told me that exiftool will write to XMP but without damaging pre-existing XMP files (my image adjustments were too valuable for me to loose).    So I wrote up an Applescript that gets particular metadata from iVMP and then sends that data to exiftool as an argument which then writes that data to the associated XMP file.  


...I designed it to process only one container (directory, catalog set, etc) at a time.  ...  I wrote the script in this manner so I could then re-read the XMP for each folder once the script is finished in Lightroom.


...The script is provided for free (as *all* scripts should be) and strictly "AS IS".  ...  If you want to improve it in anyway, please email me the changes so I can merge them in and allow the general community access.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Visit to Napa Valley</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-11-02T08:40:13-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/a0cdce49dd45ec181e9bad0c4b6bd3ff-116.html#unique-entry-id-116</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/a0cdce49dd45ec181e9bad0c4b6bd3ff-116.html#unique-entry-id-116</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A couple of weeks ago, a large group of about 100 people from work took a day trip to the Napa Valley.    Most of us took pictures along the way.


Below are several highlights from the trip.    I'd like to go back up their and do it all over again but this time go by myself so I can take my sweet time jumping from one garden to the next.    I also included some photos I took during that trip that have a Halloween theme.  

...These are streams of water from a fountain found on at a winery (I can't remember the winery's name).


And now for the Halloween photos.    The following are of a fairly elaborate Halloween decoration outside someone's house a few of use discovered a few hundred feet from one of the wineries we visited.    Although it was rainy, we had to check it out.    Happy Halloween.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Online Art Gallery Exhibit</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-10-07T20:03:05-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/c6a15977e9232db996f393a5f27a6d8d-115.html#unique-entry-id-115</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/c6a15977e9232db996f393a5f27a6d8d-115.html#unique-entry-id-115</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Since the beginning of this month I have two of my photographs exhibited in an online art gallery exhibit, entitled the 9th Annual Abstraction International Art Exhibition.  

...Sometime during September I came across a call to entry of theirs (which they have many) and decided to enter.    I don't think its a huge deal but I am pretty happy about it as it should help me to increase my exposure which is awesome.    Unfortunately my name nor my work was mentioned in the juror's statement as I hoped it would.    But like I said two of my pieces have been included and that should draw some interest in my flower photography.


...I just emailed them concerning this and I hope the gallery can help me address the issue soon.


...I plan on entering part of my portfolio and some other work in two entry calls in November.    One call has a theme of "portfolio" (only 8 images and mine is currently at 16) and the other's theme is "macro".    I'm very excited about the latter as I think I have the greater chance of being selected.  ...  If there are any photographs shown on my web site anyone feels strongly about in which you think I should consider entering, please feel free to contact me.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Still Life With...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-09-29T18:04:27-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/d5026fb2251c8e9f9e720a19995f6cf1-114.html#unique-entry-id-114</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/d5026fb2251c8e9f9e720a19995f6cf1-114.html#unique-entry-id-114</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Like I said I will probably write some more on Still Life With... later and this is it.


Like I said earlier this blog is devoted to food photography.    The author is I believe a software developer turned pro food photographer (though at the moment I can't seem to find the page to verify that so I could be incorrect).    Anyway, that in and of itself gives me lots of encourage that someone else has switched gigs from computers to photography.


Granted the site is all about food photography she does give some tips on general still life and macro work.    Thus even if you're not interested in shooting food, it is still work checking out.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>180mm f/3.5L Macro lens</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-09-29T17:55:38-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/27112521cb86c6c66febdeb232f3b37e-113.html#unique-entry-id-113</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/27112521cb86c6c66febdeb232f3b37e-113.html#unique-entry-id-113</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm trying to sell my Canon EF 100-400 F/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens.    I told a guy at work about it just to see if he was interested.  ...  I believe I have owned it for about year and half but have only used it 2-3 times and it has always had a UV filter on the front.  

...In a year and half I have used it 2 times, 3 times max.  ...  So I'd to sell it and buy Canon's 180mm f/3.5L Macro lens.    It should give me a different perspective than the 100mm Macro as well as increase my focusing distance which would be nice if I ever get back into shooting splashes.    So the guy at work is up for selling his to me and he let me borrow it in order to check it out over the weekend.


This afternoon I decided to give it a quick try with the flowers I shot 2 nights ago.    My initial impression is I like it but man is it heavy compared to the other macro lens.  ...  I'm already sold on getting it, its just a matter of selling my lens first so I can in turn use the money to buy this lens.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>In the kitchen...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-09-29T01:07:40-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/67c2c980a43cd0281e575e2337ceee43-112.html#unique-entry-id-112</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/67c2c980a43cd0281e575e2337ceee43-112.html#unique-entry-id-112</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last night I picked up a bouquet and a few sunflowers on the way home.    I decided to shoot in my kitchen using the counter, sink, and cabinets as a backdrop.    Check out a few of the shots below; some of them are taken in the studio as well.


While randomly surfing the net, I found this blog - Still Life With...    Although it is food photography related its not a bad resource for general still life work, equipment, and technique.    Also it has been providing me encouragement as the author is a software developer turned food photographer which is similar to myself (granted I'm not quite there....  YET).    I'll probably write more about this site later but I have to go to bed now.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>today&#x27;s bouquet</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-09-23T01:21:50-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/f796080beb0b9d71474fe8db3e847ab9-111.html#unique-entry-id-111</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/f796080beb0b9d71474fe8db3e847ab9-111.html#unique-entry-id-111</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today I decided to pick up a flower bouquet to shoot.    I too often shoot single or maybe double flowers and some times several but of one kind.    So I thought I'd mix it up a bit and try to get one with a early fall look.


Before I get to them, I mailed 12 postcards to various people include past customers, editors of flower or gardening magazines, and a few interior decorators.    I think I'll be surprised to hear that the postcard trigger just one of those people to visit this site but who knows.    It cost me very little to make and mail them and there is a possibility.    I plan on actually making contact either through email or written letter to those editors in hopes to get some of my work published.


And here are some of today's photos...
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More roses</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-09-17T19:43:55-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0ca7f6f769e0ab557258737698708967-110.html#unique-entry-id-110</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0ca7f6f769e0ab557258737698708967-110.html#unique-entry-id-110</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have all my flower shots backed up, now I'm working on all my personal images and then on to other general images.  ...  Besides the image files themselves I also need to keep the XMP files from Photoshop & Lightroom as they contain the all important adjustments metadata.


...I bought it as at the time I thought the digital instantaneous results and no cost usage would allow me to experiment more than what film allows.  

...Also, at the bottom the leaves and stems have a nice layering effect that makes them appear like they are vibrating.


...The Container Store sells, among many other things, pieces of plastic that is meant to be used to line shelves so that small things don't fall through.  ...  I haven't used it until placing it in front of the rose and here's the result.  

...In a book I recently read about human vision and the visual arts, there is a section where the author discusses two systems that make up human vision:  the where system and the what system.  ...  As visual aids she creates versions of the painting that resemble what the where system sees when looking at it and what the what system sees.    This image reminds me of those visual aids (look at it as if you are using your peripheral vision and not your center of gaze).


...RGB components appear to be almost completely separated (though they don't appear so in the image) and there doesn't appear to be much luminance data.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Almost forgot...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-09-09T16:09:44-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/9084e29d3474d15bb711141a9e8a55ab-109.html#unique-entry-id-109</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/9084e29d3474d15bb711141a9e8a55ab-109.html#unique-entry-id-109</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I probably won't be posting many pictures for the next couple of weeks as I am actively involved in backing up 390 GB of photos onto a bunch of DVDs.    Oh joy!


I decided to use Toast 8.0 to burn the DVDs as it also comes with a disc cataloging application which I hope will make it easier to find a particular disc contain a particular image on it.    And I am making two copies of the backups for double insurance.    I plan on storing one copy here in my office at home and in my office at work.    The discs I bought are made from Taiyo Yuden as I've been told make very high quality DVD+R disks.    Hopefully I can depend on them for the next 20-50 years.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lighting stuff</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-09-09T15:51:18-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/04e830a766dee93928905adec1ec4797-108.html#unique-entry-id-108</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/04e830a766dee93928905adec1ec4797-108.html#unique-entry-id-108</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Every once in a while I'll also check out the Strobist website which if anyone is interested in a cheap way to learn lighting, check it out.    The Strobist web site recommended Light: Science and Magic as THE lighting book to read and learn from so I recently bought it and started to read it.  

...The reason I want to use these particular strobes versus my two monolights from Alien Bees is because it takes much less time to set up a shot using the speedlights than it does the monolights & much less room.  


I also recently bought an umbrella bracket made by Manfrotto which will help me put a speedlight on a light stand that I already own instead of awkwardly hand holding it and allow me to use the flash with an umbrella which is pretty cool.    Two complaints about this particular bracket:  1.  no usage instructions (also my No. 1 complaint on every photo bag.  ...  I'm sure it'll hold a flash and umbrella, but I'd prefer to have something much tighter and thereby making me a bit more confident in my setup.    Also, I bought a screw on flash shoe that screws onto the bracket makes the flash point in a particular direction and not in 360 degrees.    If I want the flash to be pointed 90 degrees I have to loosen something and again I don't like that as the flash may not stay exactly where I want it and makes me wary of the setup crashing down on me.


Speaking of no instructions, I also bought a Wein Peanut Slave that I want to use with the Vivitar (thought I could use the Canon as the master).    I plug the thing into the Vivitar but I can seem to figure out how to trigger the damn thing.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Improve composition by learning about our vision</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-09-09T15:44:57-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/100af1f9364b7e89423c2a7b1a798f3c-107.html#unique-entry-id-107</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/100af1f9364b7e89423c2a7b1a798f3c-107.html#unique-entry-id-107</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For anyone trying to improve their composition skills or in need of a good read, I highly recommend Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing by Margaret S.   Livingstone.


The book attempts to educate the reader on the basics of how the eye and brain works and how then the reader can apply that knowledge in visual artwork which is the reason why I bought and read it.    I hope to apply the principles from the book in my photography and thereby make more visually appealing photographs.    Besides the whole art side of things, its also a good book to read for those interested in science, medicine, and psychology (although there may be better related books).]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Rosey</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-08-28T00:01:37-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/54dfc28223c6e5e29cf374ee86add83c-105.html#unique-entry-id-105</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/54dfc28223c6e5e29cf374ee86add83c-105.html#unique-entry-id-105</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last night I took some quick shots of a few roses I bought at the grocery store.    I wanted to just shoot them normally as I really liked the color of the roses (a few were dual-toned) and to help start the creative juices flowing.    I was cut short a bit due to time (was getting too late at night) but I think I was able to make worthy of posting.    I re-used my make shift snoot with my Canon flash.    The snoot is just a cone made out of regular 8.5x11 printer paper taped to the flash.    I have a few new ideas I hope to explore later this week.


Unrelated:  I bought a flash shoe adapter for a light stand so I can put my Vivitar or Canon flash on a light stand instead of hand holding them or velcroing them to a stand.    And 200 or so DVDs so I can finally backup my scans and digital photos.    I have probably 400-500 GB of photos (I want to try to trim that number down a bit) and I've never backed up any of the photos.    I plan on doing that very soon (still need to formulate a plan).
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Site Changes</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-08-27T23:41:29-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/de73f84e58dcfa195af41eb578f87d57-104.html#unique-entry-id-104</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/de73f84e58dcfa195af41eb578f87d57-104.html#unique-entry-id-104</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I removed some of the prints I actually reduced the print count on the site to 25.  ...  I assume the average visitor will have problems deciding which photograph to buy a print of when there are too many choices of photographs that look so similar.  ...  And I need to have any photograph I make available for sale to be a great photograph, not just good, as it will help to build my reputation, my "brand" or name, etc.


...Also, I tried to design the site for a 1024 x 768 monitor res on a 17" monitor.  ...  The drawback is the person with a huge 21" or larger monitor, 1600x1200 or greater won't have the greatest viewing experience.    It won't be horrible but they may loose out on seeing some fine details in the photographs.    But for the past year or so Google Analytics is telling me most of my visitors have their monitor set to 1024 x 768 and I assumed the monitor to be 15-17".    In order to make the site in general more viewable for my smaller monitor visitors I made the banner narrower, the site itself 680 pixels wide (it was 800 px), made the photographs smaller, and modified the photograph pages so that the photograph was first then all the text, navigation, and buy now buttons are at the bottom (the idea being the photograph is number one, thus show it first).


...I may some day learn how to make web pages using Lightroom which would help with easy page creation for each photograph I sell.


...I think the borders help with viewing the photo by helping the viewer visualize a frame around the photo which hopefully will aid the viewer in a purchasing decision. 
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Photography 2.0 seminar</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-08-18T17:46:04-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/83f628cadcaa980fab46436665072983-103.html#unique-entry-id-103</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/83f628cadcaa980fab46436665072983-103.html#unique-entry-id-103</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I just discovered a seminar for photographers and photo buyers that will be touring through a few cities in the US.


http://www.photoshelter.com/citytour/


It looks to help photographers get in touch with buyers as well as learn from other photographers on selling, promoting, and marketing their work.    Since its free, I thought I'd go and one of the cities it be in is San Francisco.    Might be worth the effort to attend for any emerging photographers such as myself out there.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Moo Cards</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-08-14T21:44:56-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/e0cc06dba5064c52b2e035a2cf50b192-102.html#unique-entry-id-102</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/e0cc06dba5064c52b2e035a2cf50b192-102.html#unique-entry-id-102</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I received my note cards and mini cards from Moo in the mail tonight.  

...If I have to pay twice the amount or get half the number of cards, fine.    The mini cards are cool, but coming from a photography point of view, its tough trying to get a good portion of an image on one of those cards.    Instead I have to really be selective (which can be cool and fun but if you are wanting to use them as advertisement materials, I think its best to include photos that represents your work not just a portion.).


...I really like how thick the card stock they use and the feel of them.  ...  Granted they don't conform to a 3:2 ratio, they are large enough to place a decent amount of your photo on them (maybe similar to cropping a 3:2 image to an 8x10).  ...  And I liked the look of the text you can have Moo print on the back.    I included a copyright symbol and name on one line in the center of the back of the card and my name and URL at the bottom.  ...  The extra paper that is small but enough to make the whole piece called a "note card".  

...Instead of using them to show off my work seriously, maybe I should design each card with the idea that I need to heavily crop.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Portfolio Finished&#x21;</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-08-14T21:41:01-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/760b3ce90b49cf1a9e6dc362fae5a950-101.html#unique-entry-id-101</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/760b3ce90b49cf1a9e6dc362fae5a950-101.html#unique-entry-id-101</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Finally I can now say its finished.    Granted it'll always be a work in progress, but I can now say its fit for viewing as "my portfolio".


Its theme is flower photography, surprise surprise.  16 pictures, 1 from film, 15 from my 5D.    Surprisingly, there are a few taken from the last 6 months or so.    Then again maybe I've considerably improved my composition and technique in the last 6 months.


Anyway below is the link.    I haven't integrated into the site yet.    I want to make some changes and I'll add it in then.    Until that happens, the link is below.    I've provided an html version and a flash version for those with preferences.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>promotion printing ideas</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-08-04T11:04:46-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/25d43d9994dd321c03d6a6d613e8c053-100.html#unique-entry-id-100</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/25d43d9994dd321c03d6a6d613e8c053-100.html#unique-entry-id-100</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last week I was sick at home for 2 days and found www.moo.com (based in London).    At this moment, they will take your images in make stickers, note cards, and small cards.  

...On the higher end side, check out www.paperchase.net.    They seem to have some good product ideas (I dig their products listed under "Photographer Promos" especially their accordion style cards).    The problem I have with them is their price sheet listed on the web.    I have no idea why they do it but it doesn't all that comprehensive and thus requires some contact them.    I'm not too happy about having a saleman or saleswoman push stuff on me as I normally push them away even if they are selling something so awesome and at a cheap price.    Seems to me they are fighting the benefits of being on the web and making it more difficult for the customer than it needs to be.    Maybe after I sell more prints I'll contact them.    Their cards would be good to help differentiate yourself from others.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>portfolio progress</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-08-04T10:40:03-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/6e8c23b746552174e6e945d7e3030f4a-99.html#unique-entry-id-99</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/6e8c23b746552174e6e945d7e3030f4a-99.html#unique-entry-id-99</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I showed the images I was considering for inclusion in my flower portfolio to someone at work in order to get some feedback other than my own.    I was told one of the roses (the pink one) didn't quite fit and after talking with the person I agreed.    So I removed that image as well as one of the purple calla lily shots (I had two).    Also I added one of my recent photographs.    The grand total so far is 16 images.


At this point this portfolio will be geared toward my work on shooting flowers and intended for a general audience.    Once its complete I'll make portfolios that are gear for a particular publication, person, gallery, etc in order to fit their needs / tastes.


I decided to make several methods of viewing the portfolio (still a work in progress, probably always will be but for now its not "finished").


...Slideshow PDF (works best in Adobe Reader 8)


...**I'm sure at some point the above links will be dead because I'll either rename the directories or I'll eliminate one or more of the choices.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>roses</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-07-30T23:52:32-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/f57e7981faae12bc9e5f5e9be2aa931a-98.html#unique-entry-id-98</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/f57e7981faae12bc9e5f5e9be2aa931a-98.html#unique-entry-id-98</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Never was happy with my time with roses as I thought they didn't have much to offer to the macro photographer.


Last Saturday I attended a family party and walked away with a vase full of flowers.    When I got home I decided I would shoot them before going to bed and below are some of the highlights of that shoot.


At the moment, all of my lighting equipment was put away and tucked into the closet.  ...  At first I played around more with different lighting positions before I got the idea of making a snoot out of a piece of paper.    I took a scrap piece of paper from my printer and rolled it up so I could tape one end to the speedlight and took the other end and rolled it up a bit tighter so as to direct the light in a smaller circle.    What turned out to be a snoot also allowed me to use it as a diffused light source by turning the light so that the light coming through the paper is directed at the flower (point the snoot end away from the flowers; maybe towards the ceiling or nearby wall).    I really enjoyed using it and I think I'll use it again.    I want to find a better way of back lighting flowers so that the flower is completely (or partially) lit from the behind and appears glowing.    As for the roses, I think I really enjoyed myself as I tried to focus on the overall shape and textual instead of the components that make up the rose.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>portfolio picks&#x2c; maybe</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-07-22T22:56:55-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/fe20da36dda4c48f35c36a6ae1975d1c-97.html#unique-entry-id-97</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/fe20da36dda4c48f35c36a6ae1975d1c-97.html#unique-entry-id-97</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A few minutes ago the count of images I have under consideration for inclusion into my portfolio came down to 19.    My target count is 10-20.


Like I said in an earlier post, my mission is for this portfolio to represent my best work in flower photography (I may compile a more generic all encompassing portfolio later).


I've decided to post the images right here.    I haven't quite committed to them so the picks may change and even the total image count.    Since there are 19 in all, I decided to make the image size quite small.    I thought it would be faster to load.    If you think they are too small, when I get my selections finalized I'll post the portfolio using a larger image size.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Safari for Windows...color profile support&#x21;&#x21;&#x21;</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-07-22T18:35:15-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/4feeddd893408643675413ff8cd34427-96.html#unique-entry-id-96</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/4feeddd893408643675413ff8cd34427-96.html#unique-entry-id-96</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Just before I hopped on a plane to Amsterdam to celebrate my honeymoon with my wife, I read that the Safari Beta released by Apple is the only browser that supports ICC color profiles embedded in images posted to the web.    News to me and that totally amazes me.    Just now?!?!?!!!!


That explains even why my images appear different in Safari running OS 10 and Firefox running OS 10.    This has annoyed me since I first started this web site, nevermind the colors not matching on a different OS.    Supposedly Firefox will be following the lead.    Hopefully MS do so very soon as well in IE.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Thoughts on DAM software</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-07-22T18:23:01-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1cbe1fbab4451d97d2217a3411978980-95.html#unique-entry-id-95</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1cbe1fbab4451d97d2217a3411978980-95.html#unique-entry-id-95</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Some popular examples are Adobe's Lightroom, Apple's Aperture, Microsoft's Expression Media (formally known as iView Media Pro).


My current number one problem with all of these software titles is not one provides the ability to adopt it well.    Say you are currently using iView Media Pro for your DAM software and Photoshop for your image editor.  ...  When you use Photoshop your record all your image adjustments to disk using Adobe's XMP files.    Today you want to switch to Lightroom because you like some of the features and think it would be better to use a single software application to handle all your needs.  ...  Using iVMP to export the metadata to disk will overwrite your image adjustments that currently exist.  

...What amazes me the most about this problem is not one of the big DAM software companies produce such a mechanism to perform an easy and quick adoption.    They seem to expect that photographers will have no problem dropping their current solution and pick there's up at a drop of a hat with no problems.    No one has time to figure this out and certainly no one has time to solve this problem manually.    XMP helps but without the ability to merge XMP files, it isn't a complete solution.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Working on my portfolio</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-07-22T18:14:48-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/e4da2e18bb8c331da5e15a2d45ba9280-94.html#unique-entry-id-94</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/e4da2e18bb8c331da5e15a2d45ba9280-94.html#unique-entry-id-94</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm finally getting around to working on a photography portfolio.    Oh and by the way, I'm back from my honeymoon married and all (had a great time).    I'll use it to sell my work to galleries, potential print customer, web visitors, etc.    As I'm working on it, I am thinking about selling the prints found in the portfolio as a package.    I'm still thinking about it because I'm not sure how to sell it.    Its possible I'll abandon the idea of selling all together.


...I think it'll be interesting to see what I can do with using the idea that it should sell my work to anyone to sees it (or in other words put forth my best work that helps to illustrate my skills, talent, etc.) guide me in its assemblage.  ...  Which size should the prints be (as of now I'm thinking about 8x12")?


Once I am finished I will publish it on this web site for all visitors to view.    Be sure to tell me what you think of it.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>T-shirt color problems Part II</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-06-02T17:59:22-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/55407ff3255df2857ce0996435cf7a50-93.html#unique-entry-id-93</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/55407ff3255df2857ce0996435cf7a50-93.html#unique-entry-id-93</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So I finally got around to emailing the order of Skreened.com how I can get better color and if they had color profiles for their printer.


His reply was no profiles are available and he claims they they get so many low quality images uploaded they do their best to improve them and sometimes colors get weird.    I replied back asking if it was possible for them not to tweak my designs.    If they can NOT do that, I'll try again and see if their is any improvement (I thought it may be possible their tweaking is ruining my colors).    I'm currently awaiting his reply.


If in the end I don't get what I want I may just scrap all my t-shirts or maybe go elsewhere.    I don't want to come off as saying I think their service sucks because it doesn't.    They offer one off t-shirt printing a pretty low prices, that's pretty cool.    I'm just not happy with the color reproduction of their printing.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Splish Splash</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-05-26T18:41:21-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/352b304975adffa6396e129868cc40fd-92.html#unique-entry-id-92</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/352b304975adffa6396e129868cc40fd-92.html#unique-entry-id-92</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Below are some more splash photos I just took a few hours ago using the Canon 5D and a Vivitar 285HV flash.  ...  I normally wouldn't have bought such a pricey piece of equipment locally due to the markup and I told myself I wouldn't buy this flash until after my honeymoon, but I went on an impulse buy anyway.  


...I read somewhere recently that milk is better than water because water is too transparent.    And I read that the flat surface or shallow liquid gives you larger, more dramatic splashes and after today's shoot I have to agree.


...No idea how that happened, but I was able to get it occur a few times.    My guess is the first splash was so large it launched a drop of milk that just happen to land in the center of the first splash.


Instead of milk I used orange juice (if this picture were larger you can actually see the pulp in the splash itself).  ...  My conclusion is for me to see differences like that I have to have a better set up that would allow me to get consistent results.    As of now I'm hand holding the syringe and I don't have a trigger (other than me).  ...  However, I'm still trying to see if I'll continue on with this high speed photography thing or if its just a quick phase of interest for me.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>T-shirt color problems</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-05-25T22:36:30-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/276626eda4a2c75ec497047fb57d5335-91.html#unique-entry-id-91</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/276626eda4a2c75ec497047fb57d5335-91.html#unique-entry-id-91</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I recently received a t-shirt I designed in the mail.    The print quality actually seemed really good.    I was pleasantly surprised in that respect.    However, the color seemed too dark.    The design is of a heavily scratched Seirra Nevada beer bottle cap and I wanted it to keep its distanctive green color but the t-shirt turned out way too dark.    I plan on talking to the owner of the print company and asking him how I can help ensure I get accurate colors.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Water Splashes</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-05-25T22:31:16-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/444d69a71739407adc788fc82c07a834-90.html#unique-entry-id-90</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/444d69a71739407adc788fc82c07a834-90.html#unique-entry-id-90</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[A few times in March I borrowed a flash from a coworker and shot water splashes.    Which happens to be alot of fun.    Granted I really had no control over the splashes it was exciting waiting to see what the camera captured.    After about an hour using a small eye dropper I decided to walk to the local drug store to see what I could find that would give me larger drops.    After pacing the isles I found some sort of syringe you normally use to feed medicine to small infants.


I just bought a used flash and I hope to explore more splashes this weekend.    Here is some of the pictures I took in March.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>T-shirts</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-05-20T19:55:30-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/52419ff376ffcc898d7410530bff2a38-89.html#unique-entry-id-89</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/52419ff376ffcc898d7410530bff2a38-89.html#unique-entry-id-89</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So after a long long search on how to turn my images into cool looking designs to place on t-shirts, I have created a few.  

...Granted that's a fairly simplistic explanation, but you as anyone else can perform the search on the net for more information (however if you want to know how I do it, let me know and maybe I'll write a full on article and post it here).


...Go to www.skreened.com/jclphoto  My t-shirt store front is on their web site because you are actually ordering from them, they print them on demand, and ship direct to the customer.  

...As a matter of fact they use American Apparel shirts using 8 styles of shirts and a decent selection of colors to choose from.


...At the moment, Skreened doesn't allow to design a shirt so that there is printing on the front and back.    I know they can do it, I just have to contact and make a special request.    I'm too lazy to do that for so many shirts (I'd do it for one shirt, but if my selection grows, that seems like a lot of work).    Maybe I should find a way to do it on the front of the shirt.


...Although I haven't actually asked for permission from the company that prints the shirts, I can not imagine them being upset with me posting images of their shirts with my designs on them.    Seems like a win-win situation for all as it is basically advertising for them, I'm helping to promote my work, and they get more money,
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>What happened to the Garden Blog?</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Gardening</category><dc:date>2007-05-20T16:36:45-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/50ae1a8e139456271a48142c642d6d61-88.html#unique-entry-id-88</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/50ae1a8e139456271a48142c642d6d61-88.html#unique-entry-id-88</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Great question.


I decided that if I made this blog 100% about gardening, I probably wouldn't write much.    Why?    Because I feel there is only so much you can write about the subject, at least for me anyway.    I have a few plants and their development takes time and I'm not going to be acquiring new and more plants just to fuel this blog.    I'd rather get more plants because I want more plants.


Now that's not to say I won't talk gardening indoors to some degree.    I will, but it won't be the only topic.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Let me know if you like something here</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-05-20T16:08:24-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/63a0b6562355038e3c97e209fde1b85b-87.html#unique-entry-id-87</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/63a0b6562355038e3c97e209fde1b85b-87.html#unique-entry-id-87</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Sometimes I'll post images that I decided not to sell as a print for what ever reason.    But who knows, maybe someone does like them so much that they'd like a print.


If you see a photo here on my blog that I'm not offering as a print, please let me know and I'll do what I can to sell a print of it.    Please don't hesitate to ask, I won't bite.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>From mid-April and early May</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-05-20T15:52:02-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/db310120678b88189c5f61e0ead7f7a3-86.html#unique-entry-id-86</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/db310120678b88189c5f61e0ead7f7a3-86.html#unique-entry-id-86</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On April 15th and May 6th I shot some roses and calla lilies.    In the past I've had trouble shooting roses.    At the time I really wasn't sure why, but for some reason something wasn't working for me.  ...  I decided to challenge myself and I picked up a few roses.    Before doing so, the idea of shooting flowers on the window sill sounded very cool (seems like a likely place for someone to place them).    So I shot the roses and lilies on the sill in my studio/office.    I think the outdoor lighting and trees provided some pleasing background for my shots.


In my opinion available sunlight coming from a window is the best light that I've ever come across.    It looks natural, obviously, and it "sets" well lighting the flowers.  ...  If sunlight and strobe lighting could get in a shoot out on the ice, sunlight would win every time.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>GG Park Pics</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-05-20T14:33:19-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/8825fe7e88406cbc3ff73d76116b9acc-85.html#unique-entry-id-85</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/8825fe7e88406cbc3ff73d76116b9acc-85.html#unique-entry-id-85</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last Thursday I went to the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco with a few co-workers from work.  

...I need to get outside more and shoot flowers instead of locking myself inside all the time.    And speaking of which, I should visit the two centers in SF devoted to plants and flowers (their name has escaped me at the moment) soon.    Maybe after I return from my honeymoon in July  They will have far more variety of flowers which will help build my inventory of images, not to mention much needed exposure to shooting flowers outdoors.


...Due to shallow depth of field and the wind, this little guy is barely in focus.


I found this small blossom on top of a small concrete bridge in the park.    I believe this one and the others on the bridge came from a nearby bridge.    When I noticed them while walking by I realized the concrete and the flower played well together (life vs. cold concrete, life ON concrete, animation & inanimate object).


...When I shot the Buddha statue found in the Japenese Tea Garden in the park, I composed it knowing there would be background stuff getting in the way but I decided to focus on the head as a portrait and hope for the best.    I think the surrounding elements of the statue work well to frame the head in this photo.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>2 1/2 Months&#x21;</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-05-13T23:22:48-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/7a0d90262cc84f8986fd93c2193aea51-84.html#unique-entry-id-84</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/7a0d90262cc84f8986fd93c2193aea51-84.html#unique-entry-id-84</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This particular drive supports USB OTG (on-the-go) which allows you to transfer data between a source and itself without the use of a computer.  ...  I don't want to manage a bunch of cards out in the field (which card have I used and which haven't I used?).    I'll get to test it out in July when I go on my honeymoon with my soon to be wife.  

...Anyway, I'm planning a few small changes to the site, add some images, maybe remove some (maybe, still thinking about it), and I'm trying to figure out new ways to sell my photography.    One possible avenue which I continue to think about is stock and the other is t-shirts.    I'm thinking about contacting home & garden, flower, etc type magazines and book publishers to supply them flower photos.  ...  I'll likely start off with images that have been converted to line art and have certain elements removed to help focus on a main subject.  ...  In early March, I was asked to photograph a new family - a couple had recently given birth to a baby boy.  

...As I said I'm getting married in July so the activity here will be very slow during the next few months.    I'll be moving into a new place after the weeding, but I hope to become much more active when I return from my trip.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>My plants (part 2)</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Gardening</category><dc:date>2007-03-02T19:11:17-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0ef62e8b64c6fd552547b20c95038672-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0ef62e8b64c6fd552547b20c95038672-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I took off work today a little early which meant I still had a few hours of daylight left which allowed me to take these.


...Prior to receiving these as a gift last December, I've never seen them before so it'll be interesting to see how the blooms look throughout the blooming cycle.  ...  Although they are small, I think they are great plants to have for a small apartment where the amount of sunlight is limited and you want to add some color to your windows.    And besides the water every other day (sometimes every 2 days), they don't seem to require too much attention which is nice.


...As a result, you have to be very careful not to drown the bulb in standing water when you water the plant (granted it takes a little guess work).


As you can see from the pics I put these two plants as well as my orchid (in the far background) on my ironing board.  ...  During the summer, I moved the orchid a little farther back and into the corner so it doesn't receive any direct sunlight (I've been told too much direct sunlight will burn the plant).


...Like I said in a previous post, the leaves of the plant on the far left hand side grew leaves so long they eventually fell over and snapped off and left only one leaf.  ...  The plant on the right side has been fairly good with its leaves, although as of now it has one leaf that seems a little droopy while the rest are very erect and strong.


...I like it quite a bit; colorful and has very nice decorative drainage holes that also serve as air vents for the roots.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>My plants</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Gardening</category><dc:date>2007-02-22T22:39:57-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/728ac67027a1f897ec424959c1d4170d-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/728ac67027a1f897ec424959c1d4170d-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I started getting into plants the first time I photographed one which was about 2-3 years ago.    I had just bought a macro lens and used it for the first time to shot flowers.  

...So for the last year I have started accumlating plants and have a total of 5.    Two are crocus or crocuses (don't know which is correct), 1 small Phalaenopsis orchid, and 2 amaryllis (actually they are hippeastrums but are commonly referred to as amaryllis).  

...So far the orchid and amaryllis plants are my favorites because of their beautiful blooms.    The last time they bloomed I shot several pictures of each and you see the many results right here:  johnlarsonphoto.com/store  I really enjoyed photographing the red and white blooms as opposed to the plant that has salmon colored blooms.  

...Both of my amaryllis plants grew their leaves very long and one has had them eventually fall over and snap.  ...  Does anyone know if I can control the leaf growth without weakening the plant by controlling the amount of sunlight it receives?


...If you look closely at the bottom off the two photos and you can see a red and cream patterned surface.  ...  I would love to find a cheap but sturdy and somewhat wide (2 x 2 feet maybe) plant stand.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Gardening.  Apartment Gardening.</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Gardening</category><dc:date>2007-02-21T21:46:51-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/ceb23c3e457394aca1709a359edfa23e-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/ceb23c3e457394aca1709a359edfa23e-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I just read a follow photographer's blog and came across his advice to other entry level photographers trying to sell photos as prints and licensing.    His idea is that since I'm trying to sell prints on the Internet I should not try to pull visitors but rather push them here.    Since the vast majority of potential buyers will find me using a search engine, its in my interest to drive traffic by producing some content other than photographs.    Sounds to me like good advice.    Let's give it a try.


What's this have to do with gardening?    In order to attempt to put Dan Heller's idea in motion, I've got to pick a subject to write about.    Since I devoted this website to flower photography, I should probably talk flowers.    And since I have recently started growing my own flowers in my kitchen of my apartment, I figure I'd talk about growing those flowers and maybe even photographing them.  


Stay tuned and I'll tell you all about the plants I have, I'll share photographs of the setup in my kitchen, and my plans to aquire even more plants.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title></title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-02-18T22:58:29-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1f8d46605d006044542e40684cf94268-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1f8d46605d006044542e40684cf94268-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I tried once more to sell some prints on eBay.  

...After the first 24, I reposted the auction but lowered the price.    I started four of the photographs at $10.00 and no one bid.


Someone did email me through eBay asking if I could enlarge a particular photograph and if so, how much larger.    I responded, answering their questions, but haven't heard from them since.  ...  My account doesn't really have any activity on it and that may have something to do with it.  

...In other news, I didn't get selected for either of the 2 jury calls.    I thought I had a very good chance in getting selected for the call that had an "Abstract" theme.    If anyone has experience with jury calls, I would greatly appreciate some advice.    At this point, I am seeing the errors of my ways nor what guidelines I should follow when approaching a call.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>4 more photographs added</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-02-06T23:28:32-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0cd29370cd5be2745ed9d43ee687dfb0-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0cd29370cd5be2745ed9d43ee687dfb0-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Total photographs available for purchase on this web site:  136.


Just added four more images to the site.    Check them out in the tulip04 gallery.    I made these four in late December 2006.    I had some free time from work and shot some tulips.


lone


Evening Ritual


Organic Satellite


Lower Jaw
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Changes...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-02-01T00:17:26-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1d14cdd1765d693965ac4e0a60a19065-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1d14cdd1765d693965ac4e0a60a19065-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After my a few recent changes I noticed what appears to be a bug in RapidWeaver 3.5.1 (the software I use to create and maintain this site).    After I placed the product pages (the pages that showcase individual photographs along with paypal buttons) under the "store" directory I started noticing that sometimes the exported or published pages have junk characters or portions of the code in the html document placed at the very end of the page after </html>.    The only thing that changed with the page was the location which leads me to believe its a bug in RW.  

...After leaving a note on Realmac Software's support forum and thinking about this awhile afterwards, I came to the conclusion that its time to drop RW as my primary app to maintain this site.    I think I'm going to start using BBEdit because it was some very nice automation and html tools which should make it easier and faster for me to add more pages to this site.    However, I think I will continue to use RW for its blogging feature and if I need to make large changes in the CSS files.    I still like the software, however I think this site has out grown it and I need something that will allow me to add pages faster.    During the day today I started going over BBEdit's user manual and trying to figure out how I can automate product and catalog page creation.  

...I also offered to send them a free hardcover copy of the book if they liked the idea and want me to include some of the images in their magazine.  

...Also, this weekend I going to be submitting more work to some upcoming "Calls For Entry" and "Jury Calls" in hopes I'll be accepted and finally have my work hung in some gallery.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Please excuse the mess...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-01-29T23:10:28-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/adf799eaf14d01d16f0bdb3ac71a6f92-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/adf799eaf14d01d16f0bdb3ac71a6f92-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As some may have noticed, I have made some changes around here.    I decided to create categories and organize my photographs in that manner instead of placing them all in one big heap.    The categories I chose is common names of flowers.    Since I really don't document the flowers I thought the common name was the way to go and maybe better than the idea of organizing each by color.  ...  If there are more than one type of flower in the image I decided to place the photo in each category that way its found in all corresponding category.


...Some photo pages may appear with junk characters at the end of the page.    Or, not all of the page loads as it should.  ...  There seems to be a problem or bug in my web authoring software that for whatever reason is causing these two problems.  

...Because of this as well as a few other problems I'm having with this software I keep looking to switch to something else.    Something that can handle this many pages, allows me to quickly and just as easily add more, and maybe even scriptable so I can automate the repetition.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title></title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2007-01-27T22:46:32-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/7a284e0eb78c55c8ab7a3b3f7f23d75a-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/7a284e0eb78c55c8ab7a3b3f7f23d75a-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Just got around to making some smaller versions of some photographs I recently took.


The following are a few highlights from my POTD project:
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Book publishing info...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Books</category><dc:date>2007-01-27T14:25:53-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/5bc3b5e48b2a78e97826466a1561de42-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/5bc3b5e48b2a78e97826466a1561de42-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Although in the past I haven't given Blurb great reviews, I keep coming back to them.    And this time, here is why:  Getting an ISBN number for your book and Set Your Price program


So now Blurb allows you to set your own prices in order to make a profit off your books that they sell and print for you.  ...  And they have given some info on their blog about getting an ISBN number assign to your books.    Within that posting they give a link to another blogger's entry concerning how to get that number.   

...The guide on how to get that ISBN number suggests buying only one.    To me this seems like a lame idea because the US authority will sale it to you for $125 whereas 10 will cost you around $250.    I don't know about you, but the 10 for $250 seems like a better deal.  ...  Say you enjoyed writing and publishing your very own book so much you want to do it again and you have this great idea.  ...  Either way, I strongly suggest getting the number yourself so that YOU are the publisher not someone else selling them at $55 each.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Books&#x2c; marketing&#x2c; and ramblings...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-01-26T23:22:02-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/cb0228445b784d8ede65b86f87055afc-73.html#unique-entry-id-73</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/cb0228445b784d8ede65b86f87055afc-73.html#unique-entry-id-73</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I decided to call in sick this morning which allowed me to catch up on all the pictures I've been taking for that project (mostly sorting and removing images I don't think are worth the trouble of keeping).  ...  Probably 2 of those pictures were without a doubt poor but there are maybe 10 that are worth looking at and maybe 4 that I'm proud of.  

...Since I had the day off today, I decided to run down to my local repair shop and buy a fancy swap and solution that is suppose to clean it.    However, after a very frustrating hour of what seemed to produce only me moving dust from this side and that side of the sensor I have concluded that cleaning dust off of anything with liquid is liking mopping your kitchen floor without sweeping.  ...  If the pictures turn out great, I don't really want to spend so much time cleaning them up in Photoshop.


...This weekend I hope to get my book up to par with their latest software, buy an ISBN number (or maybe a whole set) and start selling that book!  ...  A this point I don't think so because Blurb's prices are a little too high and Amazon takes too much of a cut.  

...The other suggestion I got on this website was to separate similar images from each other instead of placing them next to each other.    Potential buyers may have a more difficult time deciding on which print to buy if there are so many next to each other that look alike.  ...  I have problems in general with this approach, however my visitors may like it more (if so, let me know.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>2006 reflections</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2007-01-02T09:23:14-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/e8431776a505d537fa4793149a0163bf-72.html#unique-entry-id-72</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/e8431776a505d537fa4793149a0163bf-72.html#unique-entry-id-72</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm trying to find a good florist that deals with cut flowers and is able to get a decent selection.    I have been using a grocery store to buy my flowers but I'd rather switch to a local florist and support the local businessman.  ...  Not exactly sure of what I'd try to work out; maybe a discount or have him pick out particular flowers just for me or order flowers that are on my list.  

...I'm pretty happy with those sales numbers especially since this is my first year in operation.


...I moved from stock and prints to solely prints, added greeting cards, finally published my book (still looking for a good color POD printer and distrubutor), and moved strickly to flower fine art prints.    During all of those changes the site itself has gone through a few major changes.  

...In order to increase interest and sales I started to advertise on Google.com, made up business cards, and created an anniversery promotion offer where I gave away 5 free greeting cards.  

...At the end of 2006, I have to say I'm pretty happy with the success of this web site and my business.  


...Perhaps ask them to sell my prints and/or greeting cards in their store.  

...I'm not sure if I'll offer these particular images as prints but I just wanted to give a sneak peak of what I did during that time.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Mega photo post - PART II</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2006-12-27T10:02:10-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/226a43269d746e51567c5d2162b18c02-71.html#unique-entry-id-71</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/226a43269d746e51567c5d2162b18c02-71.html#unique-entry-id-71</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[And for those that don't know what an XMP file is, don't worry about it.


My original plan today was to go to a park just outside of Palo Alto, but I decided to sleep in (8am) and there is a 70% chance of rain all day.  

...I like how the fisheye lens conforms the coast into a semi-circliar shape.  

...The curvature of the hand-railing and the green parking curb is actually real and not created by the fisheye lens I used to take this photograph.    The fact that it could be due to the lens is one of the reasons why I enjoy it.


...The locomotive is apart of some exhibit of some sort but when I passed it, it was closed and appeared to be closed for some time.    A good title for this image would be, "In Trance" and the credit for that goes to my girlfriend.


...I really like the depiction of the old man checking out the tank and its a little comical to see the two fish on the left hand side oriented vertically along side with the man.


...Canon's fisheye lens is so wide that some times I get myself or my camera strap in the frame unknowingly.    However, in this particular case I decided to embrace it and allow my feet, legs and shirt to get into the picture.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Mega photo post</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2006-12-26T16:51:20-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/7f4413b6ab554347781ffd65e2ae6b16-70.html#unique-entry-id-70</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/7f4413b6ab554347781ffd65e2ae6b16-70.html#unique-entry-id-70</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Since I have this week off from work I'm going to spend most of the remaining time devoted to photography (actually capturing images instead of managing them).


Starting tomorrow, I want to looking into some bird photography (probably head to a park outside of Palo Alto, I might go to Moss Landing if I feel like the drive), some visits to local parks, and studio action indoors.  

...Below is a few images I took during that walk, I won't be making any of the images in this post available as a print (unless someone contacts me and requests a print).


...Motion blur from a fish eye lens looks interesting to me as parts of the image appears sharp but most is in full blur.  

...Its just right outside of my apartment and this is the first time since I've lived here that I've taken its photo.


The next few images where taken during a trip to Natural Bridges State Park, Moss Landing, and eventually to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (the trip ended with an unscheduled visit to the beach to watch the sun set).


...Of course I took several of the jellyfish themselves (which probably has become cliche), with this image I decided to capture someone looking at the jellyfish.    I really like this particular image because the jellyfish tank appears to be a 2-D object similar to a TV screen and I really enjoy how the light very softly and gradually lights the woman's face.


...Although I originally wanted to post several more images from this shoot in this posting, I just ran into a technical hiccup that involves xmp files and renaming the RAW files but not the xmp files.  ...  I get to modify about 20 XMP files so I do not loose my RAW conversion settings in Photoshop (Currently using CS3 Beta and am really enjoying it.).  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Book Recommendation</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Books</category><dc:date>2006-12-16T22:49:50-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/055cb53e6c219b7e7c03f359df6ee1ca-69.html#unique-entry-id-69</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/055cb53e6c219b7e7c03f359df6ee1ca-69.html#unique-entry-id-69</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I recently picked up a book on the subject and I have to say I really enjoy the photographer's work within.    Instead of taking the typical landscape photographer approach when photographing flowers, the author/photographer of this book approached flower photography that resulted in a much more interruptive, creative, and abstract images.    This is the approach I myself strive to take with my own work and the images found here on my web site.    I'm not much of a fan of what I consider the "documentary photography" approach to photographing flowers.    Not to say that approach is wrong or lacks skill, its just I particularly don't enjoy the product of that approach.


...The book of course covers which equipment to use and why and provides suggestions and all that typical of such a book.  ...  In the end this book helps encourage the reader/viewer to get into the weird and really explore the subject.


Two tips she has that I particularly found interesting is 1.  use aluminum foil as a background.    The result is the foil will act as a mirror and reflect back the flower your are trying to photograph which gives a nice blurred and natural looking background instead of using just an all black or all white background.  ...  If you catch them just at the right time they will do this but retain a good amount of color as well.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Major Changes...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-12-16T22:28:22-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/7922b6b04864abc5946c799d23b100a0-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/7922b6b04864abc5946c799d23b100a0-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I've made a few major changes to this web site.  ...  I decided to do it all at once along with all of the other changes.  

...I have decided to concentrate solely on flower photography in regards to my fine art business.    It just seemed that I was really already doing that so I might as well embrace it and run with it.    So all of the photographs on this site available for sale as a print will be of flowers.    The current plan is to focus in this niche and create more and post more.    I'd like to build such a large library that I can pick and choose which will be available as a print and which will be licensed.  ...  Its probably best to start with a decent size library before going off to license them.


And finally, I've moved a few things around and added a new home page which displays my logo that I mentioned earlier in the month.    There are a few more changes but I feel they are pretty minor and not worth mentioning.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Blurb Book Review (Continued...)</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Books</category><dc:date>2006-12-10T16:56:38-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/f0d2a141444322227dcdaa2fa9e7e140-67.html#unique-entry-id-67</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/f0d2a141444322227dcdaa2fa9e7e140-67.html#unique-entry-id-67</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[All of the black and white images have Adobe RGB 1998 assigned as Blurb's software doesn't accept images with Gamma 1.8 assigned as a profile.    When I wanted to make a few modifications I was forced to download the new version of their software.    This is one of the problems I have with Blurb:  to make revisions, you are forced to upgrade to the latest version which may or may not have new bugs introduced.


...So I converted the profile from the custom to Adobe RGB 1998 in a single color image and re-imported it.  

...So another email was sent to customer support explaining what I found and I asked them to write up a bug report in hopes they'd address the problem in a future release.  ...  So I sent back another email asking if this new version has a fix for this particular problem.    I also asked for a past version of the BookSmart software as the previous version worked fine for me (I upgraded my computer and didn't bother copying that application over).  

...I emailed someone that helps write their blog and she had me read their FAQ and Help section and if I couldn't find what I was looking for she suggested I contact support.    I responded that support doesn't seem to be accepting emails any longer and she then told me that the proper folks have been notified.


...Since I need to get the book finished and printed in time for Christmas, I decided just to convert all my color images to Adobe RGB.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Business Logo</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-12-02T17:26:18-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/36c7b685b3c8c5727ddb1bfd3bc8fbd4-66.html#unique-entry-id-66</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/36c7b685b3c8c5727ddb1bfd3bc8fbd4-66.html#unique-entry-id-66</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I believe I have finally created my business logo and there it is.    The logo itself is just my name and the world photography using red and black font.    However, the rest is what I use on any letterhead.    I like how my mailing address is off center from the rest of the text.    I believe its more eye catching and perhaps more reflective of a creative business.    I could have just placed the contact information at the bottom of each page with a solid line but that to me appears too business like and thus boring.


Eventually, I'll incorporate it with this web site and you'll see it at the top of every page.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>November Promo</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-12-01T00:13:59-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/161392bcb05a717877a3cb6f498223d1-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/161392bcb05a717877a3cb6f498223d1-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Here are the results of November's Promo.    I offered 5 free greeting cards to the first five people to email me.


...M.D. of Scotts Valley, CA


And that's it.    Suprisingly I had several people visit the site and several actually browsed quite a bit it.    I'm not sure why only one person respoonded.    Perhaps some people suspuct I'll put them on a mailing list and they'd rather avoid the junk mail.    My actually goal was just to increase interest and maybe generate a sale in the end.    Then again maybe that very thing happened.    I did get 2 sales during that month and 2,246 pageviews (the highest amount in a month all year).]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sale&#x21;</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-11-30T23:58:47-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/4f39a7d8e26597f5490d4fee4befbe66-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/4f39a7d8e26597f5490d4fee4befbe66-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Someone on the other side of the country bought two prints and they are being shipped at this very moment.  

...In other news, I made a few custom color profiles for various paper from Moab.    I think they are a little better than the canned profiles from Moab (however, the Moab profiles do not seem that far off).  

...I had another order during the holiday weekend and one item was a package of greeting cards.


I should receive a test frame job from Pictopia soon.    They just started widening their ability to matte and frame prints.    So I submitted an order with them just ot test out their service and craftmanship.    I'm hoping for the best because I would like to start offering matting and framing instead of offering just prints.


And finally, the last bit of news is I submitted 3 images to a jury call at the Center of Fine Art Photography in Colorado.  ...  And I plan on submitting to two other calls due at the end of next month.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Business update</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-11-12T17:34:02-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/84b093757f03ecacb628efd75412e85c-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/84b093757f03ecacb628efd75412e85c-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The reason I needed to visually inspect them is because I needed to make sure I know what I'm ordering and "white" isn't always white when it comes to mattes.  

...In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm currently working with Pictopia to allow the ability for you to order prints from me matted or matted & framed.    I hope to have this entire site updated with that information as well as have the ability to order prints matted or matted & framed instead of receiving it rolled up by itself in a cardboard tube before the end of this month.  

...The end result will allow faster order processing which means faster delivery of the finished good to my customer, probably a better and much improved interface, and they will handle the order processing as well as any credit card transactions.    She stated she's trying to poll the current clients to see how many and who are interested and they will have it ready by the beginning of next year.  ...  I'm hoping that this will also mean that I can create web pages for each image (for new images that I create) much faster using some sort of automated process which I've been looking around for.    So instead of buying into something now I think I'll wait for them to integrate themselves into my site and see if they provide that feature.  

...If I like all the terms and conditions to have them re-sell my work, I'll definitely be selling some stuff there.  ...  Its possible to be a little flexible on that rule of mine and tailor some work just for limited editions and other work for open editions just to get my stuff sold.  

...If all goes well and I get selected by just one Call, I think my web traffic will go up and it will increase my exposure to many more people and hopefully actual potential customers.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>-=Anniversary Promotion=-</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-11-01T04:20:00-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/12f5b434da0a5b32f06075656224c326-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/12f5b434da0a5b32f06075656224c326-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[To help celebrate my one year anniversary and to celebrate the kickoff of my greeting cards, I'm going to give the 1st five people who email me five greeting cards absolutely free.    That's five different photographs printed on five cards for free, no shipping and handling fees - you don't spend a dime.  

...First FIVE to email receives FIVE greeting cards for FREE!  

...You need to send all three pieces of info to qualify.    Offer expires on December 1, 2006 - once the clock strikes 12/1/2006 PST, no more entries will be excepted.    Also, each entry has to be different (name and addresses have to be different); no repeat emails from the same person will be accepted.


Once I receive five emails from five different people, I'll email you back with a congrats.    I would also like to post your name and city and state on the blog to publicly congratulate you.  ...  - San Jose, CA - I promise not identify you with your full name and fulling mailing address.    And of course no email addresses will be posted; everyone hates SPAM.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>1st year anniversary</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-10-31T11:38:35-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/f44d20f8d8a36b8f406ccc74f43937ac-61.html#unique-entry-id-61</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/f44d20f8d8a36b8f406ccc74f43937ac-61.html#unique-entry-id-61</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Today official marks the 1st year anniversary of John C.   Larson Photography.  365 days ago I went to a state office in downtown San Jose, CA to file for my state seller's license.    I thought it would be cool to have my start date on Halloween.


I should do some sort of special promo just for the date.    Ok maybe the hiatus isn't as long as I thought it would be.    Having a couple days off of work helped out.    Maybe I'll come up with something tomorrow...]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Introducing......Greeting Cards</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-11-01T00:00:01-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/b58bbd8554760d101776c0a5eb274fbd-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/b58bbd8554760d101776c0a5eb274fbd-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Finally I have my greeting card offerings online and available for all.    Currently, I have 2 packages of cards and each package contains 20 cards (10 different photographs) and mailing envelopes of course.    Let me know what you think.  

...Excerpt from the Greeting Cards page:


...These packaged set greeting cards make great gifts or if you need to keep in touch for special events, the holidays, or just to say hello.


Each package comes with a set of 20 greeting cards displaying 10 different beautiful photographs created by John C. ...  Each and every image found in these packages are also available for purchase as a fine art print right here at John C.   Larson Photography.


All greeting cards are printed on Kayenta 205 Matte by Moab Paper, a paper known for its longevity and acid-free materials.    Each package currently ships with white envelopes.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A little hiatius...</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-10-28T21:24:05-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/62e47b7c72565a792fe89d70b3556bd5-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/62e47b7c72565a792fe89d70b3556bd5-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm taking a bit of a hiatius because just this last Friday I have undergone surgery on my sinuses as well as placing tubes in my ears.    Not exactly happy fun times but the goal is my quality of life and hearing will improve.    For those that know what's its like to have cronic sinusitis you know what its like to wake up everyday with a sinus headache as well as frequent sinus infections throughout the year.    Anyway, like I said there will be a slight pause in my updates until I can get back to normal.


When I do get back to normal, my plans are to:  post more images for sale as prints, work on designing a few t-shirts, and posting 2 sets of greeting cards.    And of course I hope to be taking more pictures (hopefully that goes without saying).


Bear with me and I'll be back soon....


...Ask me a question, give me your opinion on one of the images I offer for sale, give me a suggestion, complain or whatever.    However, please keep it photography, photography business, etc related.    I'm not looking for emails that inform me of the latest IPO offering or the latest drug deal coming out of Canada.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Single</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2006-10-17T22:10:17-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/b3a1bfd01bbdc0961fa591c9afdf1577-58.html#unique-entry-id-58</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/b3a1bfd01bbdc0961fa591c9afdf1577-58.html#unique-entry-id-58</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For this installment, I'm finishing a batch of photos taken two or three weekends ago.    I'm not really sure the name of this flower but I do remember enjoying the yellow on red look of it.  


The next posting is likely to have several images from my just last weekend of stargazer lilies.


Car Lights Only Show So Much


total:  84]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why Flowers?</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2006-10-16T00:12:36-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/6985bcb92e15d31582591f0db381d045-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/6985bcb92e15d31582591f0db381d045-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I enjoy exploring the interior of flowers and extract views you normally don't see along with some distortion or selective focus.  

...Question:  Why then are there some pictures of very recognizable parts or whole flowers?


Answer:  I generally don't enjoy the views that show a full or recognizable portion of a flower.    However, I will let things slide if I can get away with distorting, obscuring, etc portions of the flower.    Then again, I can think of one or two that don't do a very good job of that, though I still enjoy them.


Question:  Is there a reason why the pictures of flowers out number the pictures of anything else on your web site?


...I also enjoy taking pictures of other things and those other images on this site reflect that interest.  ...  Should the site showcase pictures of only one subject or keep it multi-subject and general?    The idea is to split the web site into two parts (two separate domains) or, just stay focused on the flowers, or keep it the way it is.    I suppose I could keep it the way it is but just heavily advertise it as a flower photography web site.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Spinning With The Rental Seeds Driven Into The City Square Raising A Question</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2006-10-15T23:58:51-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/011f00a36b7285d79a479be850c8c827-56.html#unique-entry-id-56</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/011f00a36b7285d79a479be850c8c827-56.html#unique-entry-id-56</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[At this point, I'm unaware of the names of the flowers found in this post and else where on this site.    However, I will try to find their names and post them on their respective pages.


Anyway, these images are from a shoot in my studio at the beginning of this month.    And I shot many more just this last Saturday (Mostly of a stargazer lily).    So I have many more to post so stay tuned...


...Pink Pumpkin Seeds


Vacation Rental Tree


A Question


City Square Late Night Lights


Sword Driven Sand Trap
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More tulips AND lilies - A 10 picture post&#x21;&#x21;&#x21;</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2006-10-11T22:35:03-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/cbf5743b0ae98f4b57f1031171c289f7-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/cbf5743b0ae98f4b57f1031171c289f7-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[More tulip and lily pictures from a recent weekend of studio shooting.


I really like the way the pictures of the orange lily turned out.    I think I was successful at transforming portions of the lily into what appears to be something entirely different visually.     This is one of the reasons I enjoy taking macro shots of flowers.    Plus some of the pictures look very psychedelic.


...Giant Tulip Tree


...Mushroom Explosion


Rapture Of The Deep


...A Ride Aboard The Lily Expression Into The Present


total:  77 fine art photographs to choose from]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>More tulips</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2006-10-05T00:11:05-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/3050857d6744fe6eb2d2d65a9e2a07aa-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/3050857d6744fe6eb2d2d65a9e2a07aa-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[4 more images to add to the flower gallery.    Each image was taken last weekend.  

...I usually title my images as I'm posting them.    This particular case was a little difficult, perhaps due the size of the post.    Usually something will come to me just by looking at the image and I'll write that down.    Personally, I don't think titles have much meaning or even purpose.    However, people generally do not do well with numbers as identifiers.


Leaning Into Focus


...Blue Car In The Shade


Total Images:  67]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Assortment of images</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2006-10-03T23:38:37-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0f7eb8a193da024aaa1a96bce95991bb-53.html#unique-entry-id-53</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0f7eb8a193da024aaa1a96bce95991bb-53.html#unique-entry-id-53</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Railroad signs seem odd in that, although you are meant to read it top to botthom, left to right, the railraod symbol is meant to be seen first and the rest read second.    So its as if you are meant to read the railraod crossing symbol and then you read "Private Crossing.  ...  Only the railroad crossing sign is sharp and the rest is out of focus (some of the grass is as well but only because of how close it is to the sign).


...My other 5D images report the correct speed except for this image and an image that is similar.    Looking at other images taken with the 5D under the sun in the same application I see similar incorrect reporting of the shutter speed (1/99 sec, 1/197 sec, 1/332 sec).    It would be nice if iVMP reported the source device in this section but for some reason places the info under "Media Info", seperate from "Photo EXIF".


...This image was taken just last weekend (Saturday) with the 5D and a 100mm Macro lens.    On Saturday I took a total of 388 photographs and 65 more on Sunday for a total of 453 over the coarse of 2 days.  ...  Had I actually used film, the cost per image comes to 33 cents (($5.50 per roll + $6.50 processing per roll) / 36 exposures per roll).  

...The outcome is great (there are many images that I really enjoy and I believe look fantastic) and I discovered my tripod really comes in handy taking studio macro shots because of its off center column.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Train Station</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Photography</category><dc:date>2006-10-02T22:48:36-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1b24618f18e36b1ac109b3e4d24dafd3-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1b24618f18e36b1ac109b3e4d24dafd3-52.html#unique-entry-id-52</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I borrowed two tilt-shift lens and took them to a near by train station at night a week ago.    The following image is a result of the trip.


No


And this is the very first image on this web site that is from my 5D.    I'm very excited about that as I believe it will increase the amount of shots I take, allow me more freedom to experiment, and save me time.    Over this past weekend I took several macro shots of more flowers.    I"m very happy with the results and I will be making those images available here very soon.    I love the turn around time - the time it takes from exposure to posting it here.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Gallery submission</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-09-25T23:44:41-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/60fdc1d71ad325f140feeef204a11d4a-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/60fdc1d71ad325f140feeef204a11d4a-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Yeah I've thought long and hard on the title, hopefully it pans out for the best.


In August I stumbled open an open call for artists to submit work to an art gallery located in Boston.    Because it was an open call (anyone can submit) I decided to give it a try.  ...  I'm really not a fan of 8x10 especially if I have to throw away part of the image to force it into that size (I'd rather have it 8x12, keeping the original aspect ratio).  ...  There was no guideline that addressed a theme or something they were looking for in particular.  ...  Had I been accepted, my work would have been displayed for a month along with all the other winners (or whatever) in their gallery and available for purchase.  

...I took this image while my girlfriend and I were waiting for a train in Germany.  

...I thought it was humorous to have railroad crossing signs, paint on the sidewalk, and even the wooden structures around the path over the tracks just for such a small and slow moving train.  

...I took this image in front of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam while my girlfriend quickly ate our lunch before walking inside.  ...  I think they help add depth to the image and a sense of being outside looking in.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Store has opened</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-09-24T20:12:15-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/cc72f5e7b0e810b9d02eaa1ac3887dd1-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/cc72f5e7b0e810b9d02eaa1ac3887dd1-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to make some of the things I'm planning on selling (besides just fine art prints).  ...  I plan on printing them myself and am having a horrible time trying to figure out how to truly center printing on paper using the Epson 2200.  

...Also in other news, I called a book POD printer earlier last week and was told they really can't help much with distribution.  ...  I checked their web site out and they have a 60 page maximum limit on their full color books.  60 pages?!?!  ...  However, I thought the original printer I had in mind could still print the book and I'd have them ship all orders to Amazon's distribution centers.    A grand idea especially since having a book on Amazon is one of my top priorities (they being the largest bookstore in the world).    A grand idea until I saw what Amazon offers to direct publishers/authors = 45% of the cover price.  ...  Let's assume that is also the price for just one book.  45% of $22 = $9.90.  

...That is until I ran across http://www.fonerbooks.com/2006_09_01_archive.html  The owner / author of this blog reports on the self publishing industry (he is a self publisher as well) and provides a great deal of information.    To make a long story short, I think it may still be possible to get my book out the door and into only bookstores using Lightning Source, Inc.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>5D arrived</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-09-09T19:04:33-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/bb225f8a131bb8157bc1b1042a6c5e50-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/bb225f8a131bb8157bc1b1042a6c5e50-49.html#unique-entry-id-49</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My Canon 5D arrive yesterday evening.    And I've been playing with it ever since.


I hope to get some macro shot taken tomorrow and hopefully I'll have some keepers.    Of course, I will post some if I do have any to keep.


My turn around time should be so much less than before.    I'm excited.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Shared Ink book review</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Books</category><dc:date>2006-09-09T18:38:59-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/2fe44bd47a3487753e20227c240776f8-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/2fe44bd47a3487753e20227c240776f8-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I ordered I believe a 26 page linen hardcover book which cost around $45 ($39.95 for 20 pages and $1.00 for each additional page) and measured 11" x 8.25".  ...  I don't think I would normally order such a book with the color red as the cover but since I was just evaluating print quality and general craftsmanship, I said what the hell.


...The first and very last pages are of high textured paper that is slightly brown with multi-colored specs.    The pages that the photographs are printed on, however, are glossy (but thankfully not too glossy - you can't see your face in them).  

...I believe the book from SharedInk is about 1/2 inch shorter and narrower than the book from Shutterfly.  

...The print quality is great and its very nice that they actually use color management and convert your profile to match theirs.  

...What I disliked:  It would be nice to get a copy of their profile to soft proof before I submitted an order.    And once again, this book doesn't have the book title or anything else for that matter printed on the spine.    If and when its put on a bookshelf, how do people know what it is without pulling it from the shelf?  

...I think I'll save Shutterfly for projects that I need quality but I need to also save a few bucks.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Canon EOS 5D</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>News</category><dc:date>2006-09-01T23:22:03-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0d4dbe61a7c5c74c74499769867a6502-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/0d4dbe61a7c5c74c74499769867a6502-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Last night I finally took the plunge and purchased a Canon 5D from B&H.    It should arrive some time in the middle of the up coming week.


A desicion that has been the result of several weeks thinking about buying it.    I decided to quit thinking about and just bought it.    I'm sure I'll enjoy it.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Book quote</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Books</category><dc:date>2006-08-31T20:50:35-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1412842541a1bee2a4f4f5bdfe5de56f-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/1412842541a1bee2a4f4f5bdfe5de56f-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[After a few back and forth in email, I had to rule out the printer in Illinois as they are unable to print 12x8 books.  ...  And at this point, I'm going to assume it is.  

...Now because I want to have a printer to print my books only as orders to buy the book come in, I really don't want to buy a large quantity of books at a time.    In other words:  I don't want to fork over cash up front.


So I think I'm going to call the printer up and talk to them.    Their web site claims they provide distribution services so it may be possible to get what I want.    I have a ton of questions and depending on their answers I may have even more.    Because of that I think its best that I actually talk to them over the phone which I plan to do very soon.


...I think if I can get it to $20 - $25, more people are likely to at least think about buying a copy.    It would be sooo nice to get the book on Amazon.com and maybe even one or two other online book retailers.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Shutterfly Book Review</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Books</category><dc:date>2006-08-31T20:27:54-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/3dbe11fc4051e15f2e9e552c6b22cf84-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/3dbe11fc4051e15f2e9e552c6b22cf84-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The book I ordered is 27 pages, brown suede cover, and each page has only one photo printed on it.  ...  Also, because I just wanted to check out their color print quality the book has no text except for the title page.


...I'm not a big fan of the cut out in the front cover, though I can see many who probably do enjoy it.  ...  I would like to see the same book sitting side by side to a book printed on a 4 color press.    Although I don't have one to compare it to, I'm very happy with the quality of digital printing.  

...The images are bigger, you have more room for more text, and the images look better in a book this size compared to a 10x8 book.  

...If I were to place this in a bookcase, I will have no idea which book it is and I can imagine the frustration having more than one of these books stored in the same bookcase.


...Color reproduction is better (it would be nice to know if either actually uses the color profiles attached to the uploaded images) with Shutterfly.    And books printed by Shutterfly are made using their web interface and not a buggy, slow, and still in beta Java application as is the case with Blurb.  ...  But at this point in time if I had to choose one over the other, my choice is Shutterfly.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Book Progress</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Books</category><dc:date>2006-08-27T18:37:13-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/250b1169b8706e007f42740c42999151-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/250b1169b8706e007f42740c42999151-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Friday night I finally uploaded a corrected version of the book to Blurb.com and made an order.    Then on Saturday while building a "Best of" book I realized I never added one particular photograph to the book.  ...  So just moments ago I added that image to the book and modified the page it would appear on within the book.  ...  So I'll have two copies coming within about 10 days, though only one is the finished book (the *true* finished book).


The "Best of" book was designed with no text and only 26 images.  ...  Its meant to show off what I believe is the best of the best AND to demo 2 print services (SharedInk.com and Shutterfly.com).  ...  After using 3 different services, I'll be able to see which one I like most and which is the worse.    Then I plan on using the best to print off a portfolio (maybe 2 portfolios) and various other themed books.


Also, I am working on something else and if it pans out I'll report on it.    If it does not, I'll just move on to the next thing.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Received rough draft copy</title><dc:creator>John C Larson</dc:creator><category>Books</category><dc:date>2006-08-22T22:08:17-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/ad8eee747625cacf6a52cddcb27ef1c9-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.johnlarsonphoto.com/blog/files/ad8eee747625cacf6a52cddcb27ef1c9-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[These sheets are white (all my pages in the book have a black background) and they appear to be apart of the binding of the book.  

...I don't believe any mention of this is on Blurb's web site, however I except it when a book ships with a dust cover.  ...  So during the times the book is without its cover, I like to be able to see the name of the book printed on the hardcover itself.  

...There are a few (most of them look great) that seem to have a slight color cast and my guess is its a slight blue cast.    What is so odd about this problem is the cast appears to be only on a few images, not all of them.


...I emailed support about this problem and customer support told me that there is a new version of BookSmart coming out that week (that was early last week) that would address a crashing bug I found as well as include a new text engine that may address this spacing problem.  

...What I would really like to be able to do is publish my own book:  have someone print it for me for no up front costs at a reasonable rate and make a distribution package available so that I can make the book available in bookstores across the entire US.  ...  I think this can be done and I think it can be done reasonable cheap but with high digital print quality (granted not full color press quality but close).    I can't wait till a time I can publish a photo book and have it on Amazon.com or asking my local bookstore to carry it  without paying several thousand dollars up front to a printer.


Just so everyone is clear, this is the first photo coffee table book I've ever made so that 