Purchase Christian Fletcher’s Stock Photos
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My Workflow Workshop

I am running what might possibly be my last workflow workshop for the year. i have been trying to get one up and going for months now but the calendar has been so full. I know it is short notice but the details are below.
Date – Saturday night the 4th of September 2010 at 7.30pm
Location – My Dunsborough Gallery, Shop 4/27 Dunn Bay Road
Cost – $250 per person
What you get – 4 to 5 hours of learning, A printed workbook with the nights topics, Free wine and Desert.
What I cover -
Composition
Light
equipment, camera etc
Shooting in RAW
RAW image conversion
Photoshop examples
Other software I use to get the results I do
Stitching
Colour Management – Working spaces, colour profiles, colour settings
Soft proofing
Monitor Calibration
ICC profiles
Sharpening Resizing
Printing
Tips and tricks to make your images pop!
Plenty of time to ask questions

This is my workshop that will get you on the right path to professional results and is suited to all levels of knowledge. A basic understanding of photoshop would be helpful as well as and understanding of the basics of photography and the operation of your camera.
Let me know as soon as you can if you can make it down for the night.
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New Gear from Canon

Benny from Team Digital gave me the heads up on some new Canon gear that is coming out very soon.

Canon demonstrates the company’s commitment to continually improving lens technology for SLR cameras.
Announcing today:

  • Four new Canon Super – Telephoto lenses
  • Two new Canon EF Extenders
  • One New canon fish eye Zoom lens
  • One Canon Tele photo Zoom


The first of these new products will be available toward the end of October and extending through to 2011.


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Tony Hewitt – the Inaugural Masterclass on Rottnest Island November 5th to 7th

My good mate Tony “Tone” Hewitt is running an awesome workshop on Rottnest with Denis Glennon. This will be an opportunity to get inside the head of one of Australia’s most awarded photographers. Tony has taught me more about creating stunning images than anyone and his enthusiasm will rub off when you are all together and the creative juices are flowing. Tony has a unique vision. What he has shown me is a brilliant photograph isn’t created in Photoshop, it is created in your mind. He will teach you that your own unique vision is your most powerful tool. Below is some more info on the workshop. Get on it.

Tony Hewitt, AIPP Grand Master Photographer, Hon Fellow AIPP,  and Denis Glennon AO, have

combined their respective expertise to present Tony’s inaugural Masterclass in Western Australia.

The venue for this exclusive event is one of Western Australia’s jewels of nature –

The Country Club, Rottnest Island.

Only twelve participants will be registered.

The Masterclass is scheduled for Fri 5th & Sun 7th November 2010, when Rottnest will be at its best.

Highlights of the Masterclass include:

■The journey of photographic vision through the eye of a Grand Master Photographer

(only nine in Australia)

■Tony’s candid and eloquent sharing of his techniques and thought processes on capturing

images that strongly resonate with viewers

■Learning why great, award winning images are the result of the photographer’s passionate

intent, engagement with the world in the frame and most importantly, creative vision

■Informing participants how to

■Tony’s sympathetic, warm-hearted talks and honest photographs go deep to the core of

both the purpose and method of making great photographs. He is a free-spirited but a

sure-footed wanderer who will ensure, as a participant, you will stay inside his head and

therefore vision, right from the moment he shoulders his camera bag and leads you on the

first pre-dawn shoot

■An insight to the mindset of photography award judges …… by one of the most experienced

and respected international judges in the photography world

It is a “total package” event and includes:

■Return Rottnest Express Ferry tickets

■Shared accommodation

■All meals, (excluding alcohol) – dinner on Fri and Sat evenings, breakfast on Sat and Sun

morning, lunch on Sat and Sun and morning & afternoon tea/coffee

■Transport to remote areas of the island for pre-dawn and sunset shoots such as Parker

Point & West End

■Attendance at all Masterclass tutorials and shoots on Sat and Sun

■Handout materials and helpful, constructive commentary on your images captured during

the shoots

To secure your place go to : http://denisglennon.com/tony-hewitt-masterclass-on-rottnest-island/


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Lake Ballard Overview

This is my take on the view overlooking Lake Ballard. I have come up with a new technique for adding a tone and contrast at the same time and it is completely editable so it is easy to fine tune. This tone can bring an image to life. Again I have a very light sky as opposed to the heavy dark ones. I like it for a change. This pic is almost 3 metres wide at full res. Another one I did with the gigapan is just under 5 metres wide at full res. That is big!

This image would do well in the Landscape 500 Photo Competition. Enter here.

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RAW Coolgardie Building Photo

This one is for Andrea. This is how the building actually looked when I shot it. All out of shape, and with a plain blue sky. See you can make something out of nothing.

Don’t forget to enter the Landscape 500, so far the odds are pretty good you will win a prize.

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Cool Coolgardie Building

This is my take on the old hotel Markie and I shot in Coolgardie. Was a classic building and I thought long and hard about the final image I had in my mind. This is pretty much what the it said to me. Who would have thought they could build such beautiful things on the way to no where. All this image needs is an old guy in a wheelchair and I would be completely happy. Some major work went into this and I will show the workings at my next workshop. Whenever that will be.

Might have to do one soon before the Landscape 500 Competition finishes. Could inspire you to greater photographic pieces, or just bore you silly!!

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Nik-64 bit Upgrade

Benny from Team Digital just told me some good news, all the Nik software is now soon to be 64-bit. That will be awesome with CS5 and my newly upgrade Mac Pro with 24gb of ram. Thanks for the heads up mate.

How To Update:
If you are a current Viveza 2 customer, you can get the 64-bit update from the websitehttps://www.niksoftware.com/site/ simply go the Support and then FAQS then you will see “Is Viveza 2 compatible with 64-Bit host applications”. Then follow the prompts from there

Next in Line:
The next products to be released are:

• Silver Efex Pro &
Color Efex Pro 3.0
• Dfine 2.0 &
Sharpener Pro 3.0

We are currently completing these updates and reviewing them to assure the highest level of quality.

I use Nik software all the time when working my images. It is worth getting Colour Efex and Silver Efex alone but the whole suite is nice. Don’t forget if your getting some awesome results with Nik software, enter the Landscape 500 Awards. Show us what you can do!

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The Landscape 500 Just Got Better

Jetstar have just thrown in free flights for the winners of first prize from any capital city in Australia to Sydney  for the cruise on True North. How good is that. So now there is an even better reason to enter the competition. Well unless you live in Sydney that is!! Thanks Jetstar.

The Landscape 500 Photo Awards

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Team Digital have a new Blog address

Click here to go to it. Make sure you bookmark it and check out all the good stuff coming up. Team digital blog

Don’t forget my comp The Landscape 500. Enter Now

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Nick Melidonis is on his feet and off to Greece

JOIN  NICK MELIDONIS ON THE TOUR OF A LIFETIME, GREEK ISLAND ODYSSEY MAY 2011

Join Master Photographer Nick Melidonis and SBS journalist Costas Demetriades on a remarkable journey to the Cyclades Islands nestled in the deep blue Aegean. These Iconic islands are renowned for the beauty of their expansive seascapes, whitewashed villages spilling down slopes, blue-domed churches, soaring windmills, and stunning sunsets.

For full details of the tour see http://nickmelidonis.com/tours/aegean-odyssey-itinerary/

To attend a free information evening on August 3oth contact Nick on nick@nickmelidonis.com

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TOUR

  • Visit the Monasteraki (flea market) and the ancient Agora of Athens
  • Enjoy professional photography tuition to capture images from one of the world’s most photogenic destinations
  • Marvel at the perfection of the Parthenon set on the imposing heights of the Acropolis
  • Share a musical and cultural feast in an ancient castle with a descendent of the 13th century ruler of Naxos.
  • Stroll through the vibrant streets of Mykonos and explore the sacred island of Delos, steeped in mythology
  • Explore the Cyclades Islands most charismatic port, Naoussa, on the magical island of Paros
  • Visit Tinos, island of artists, also known as the Lourdes of Greece
  • Wander along the awesome caldera’s edge in Santorini, one of the world’s most amazing landscapes.

The Landscape 500, over $10,000 in prizes just for entering a pretty landscape image of Australia. ENTER NOW

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Face Off

These Sculptures are fantastic models, bulimic, stand still and never complain. Oh and they are nude! Not that that interests me but I know there are some  out there who like that! This is another slant on the trip to Lake Ballard with Markie Mark Stothard and David Davo Bettini. DRAW!!!!!

The Landscape 500 is now open and only 470 entries left!! Get in quick to win one of these awesome prizes. Go to the Landscape 500 website to enter and bask in the glory of being the best landscape shooter in Australia, well after me that is!!!

www.landscape500.com

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Game on!

Ok Markies pic was favoured over Mine in the super pit challenge, but get your choppers on to this baby! That is a sand pit for big kids, scale, scale, scale!

The Landscape 500 is now open and only 470 entries left!! Get in quick to win one of these awesome prizes. Go to the Landscape 500 website to enter and bask in the glory of being the best landscape shooter in Australia, well after me that is!!!

www.landscape500.com

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Disk Aid

I found this cool little program last night called Disk Aid that allows you to copy your iphone photos and videos straight on to your desktop. You can then edit them as you would with any other file from your dslr. What I really wanted to do though is make a movie from my iphone videos and typical Apple make it hard to get anything off of these devices. Luckily 3rd party apps come to the rescue. I knocked up a imove clip in minutes from my iphone. It was very cool. Here is a pic shot from the iphone and edited in photoshop. Did you know you can get a usable 8×10 print from these puppies? Cool.

Don’t forget to enter the comp. The Landscape 500

I am working on a deal with Jetstar at the moment which is looking good. Basically means who ever wins first prize will get free flights from any major capital in Australia that Jetstar flys from. Cool.

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The Landscape 500 is Open – Start your engines!!

It’s now open and only 500 entries left!! Get in quick to win one of these awesome prizes. Go to the Landscape 500 website to enter and bask in the glory of being the best landscape shooter in Australia, well after me that is!!!

www.landscape500.com

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The Landscape 500 Prizes – Christian Fletcher One on One

Now at first glance this might seem like a really great prize and you would probably prefer to come fourth just so you can listen to me bang on about photography for a day, but I’ll let you in on a little secret………………. ok it is the best prize! Imagine getting to suck my brain dry for the day, ok that might only take a couple of hours and it will be more baron than the governments view of James Price Point. Still that will be a cool couple of hours. I then turn into a blibbering idiot. Hang on, I’m that anyway, maybe I get worse?

Anyway what you will get is a morning and arvo shoot and the rest of the time we will go through my workflow and techniques one on one. We will have lots of computer time and if you don’t come away full of enthusiasm and knowledge then I have failed the mission. Wow I’m even getting myself excited.

Maybe we should call this the MEGA PRIZE!!!

Thanks to Markie Mark Stothard for the pick of some great big wonderful guy!

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The Landscape 500 Prizes – The Gigapan Epic Pro

I have tried this baby out myself and for complicated stitches it is a must. Here is the scenario, you have just arrived at the Bungle Bungles and want a shot of Cathedral Gorge. When you get there you realise you are surrounded by this enormous cavern. Even with a super wide angle lens you just wont get it all in. Not only that, it is high as well as wide. Try stacking 3 rows of 12 images manually and even worse with a standard 3 way head. Enter the gigapan. Enter where you want it to start at the top then where you want it to finnish at the bottom and press play. Perfect every time. Save this panorama on the gigapan easily move to the other side of the gorge and press play again. Done, no worry that you have missed a vital shot.

Now thats worth its weight in gold if you are a commercial shooter and can’t afford to mess up.

Epic Pro Highlights

  • DSLR Compatible EPIC Pro works with almost all DSLR cameras.
  • Large lenses are supportedCamera and lens combinations of up to 10 lbs can be used with the EPIC Pro.
  • Precision accuracy Powered camera movement and simple fore/aft up/down adjustment for optimal positioning of the nodal point and varied camera/lens combinations.
  • Quick set up Easy to secure EPIC Pro to tripod. Fits standard tripods with 1/4″ thread.
  • Onboard bubble level for horizontal alignment.
  • Clear and simple to navigate menu Access frequently-used functions with the touch of a button, such as to move the camera or set the shutter delay.
  • Screen is highly visible with back lit display.
  • Strong and durable yet lightweight Excellent design with magnesium chassis and aluminum arm, the EPIC Pro weighs less than 8 lbs.

Special Features

  • Rechargeable battery pack (7.2V, 4300mAH) Charge the battery on its own or while inserted in the EPIC Pro, convenient for charging while shooting. Battery pack and charger included.
  • Multiple Triggering Option Allows the EPIC Pro to take multiple pictures at each image location up to 20 times per position for exposure bracketing or multiple image enhancement.
  • Optimized range of motion 360 panoramic and -65/+90 tilt range of motion with precision incremental movement.
  • Remote trigger port Enables you to start taking a panorama from a different location using a remote trigger switch (not included).
  • Settings include: Option to repeat last panorama, pause and scroll, and order pictures as rows or columns.
  • Adjustable features include: Time between exposures, motor speed, aspect ratio, and picture overlap.
  • Precision movement The pan-tilt precision for the EPIC Pro is 0.04 degrees/step for tilt and 0.12 degrees/step for pan.
  • Electronic Trigger Cable Seven cables are provided when you purchase the EPIC Pro. Please see ‘Compatible Cameras’ to find out which cable is compatible with your camera.


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Lake Ballard

What could have been. If only we had a sunset like this, well I’m sure if we hung around enough we might have. The sculptures on Lake Ballard are fascinating. They are very alien looking and very fitting for this alien landscape. Oh for some water in this lake and a cracking sky. Flemming you would love this place, wide open and flat!

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The Super Pit

Just returned from a week away with Markie Stothard, David Bettini and Michael. We had a blast and lots of laughs. Not real great light but Lake Ballard is a place with lots of potential given the right circumstances. On the way we stopped of at the super pit to see how large a hole you can actually dig if given big enough Tonka trucks. Hmm I wonder if their operation is eco friendly?? Ah I’d say nup looking at what is going on around the clock. Is a very impressive sight I must say. Getting a good shot of it is a challenge. The lookout has a cage around it that makes it that little bit harder. Those trucks down there are massive, but compared to the pit, they are just little ants!

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Sian & Marnie Fenn

Last portrait for this week. Going to post a landscape soon promise. The girls looked great in this pic but because it is a bit smiley I didn’t think it worked with a serious gritty background. Thought this almost B&W idea worked well.

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Sian Fenn

This is the the younger sister Sian. The girls told me how they loved the Cores, doesn’t every bloke!!! I think they have a bright future ahead of them. Remember to give them a call if you are in need of some soothing background music. Sian is also in a jazz band I believe, if your into a bit of that. Alternatively if you want something to end a party real quick you can get Michaels band, “Hitting Grandmas with sticks”. As the name suggests you will want to put yourself out of your own misery!! I must say they sounded a lot better when I was a member. My searing guitar riffs, akin to a Steve Vai speed solo were pretty amazing!

sianfenn@yahoo.com.au