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• Sex Education - The Official Sex Manual
  by kathleen

  LESSON ONE / / !http://images-0.redbubble.com/img/art/...

  LESSON ONE / / / / / / I picked this up at a fete while on a hinterland drive… Copyright Gerald Sussman 1965

• Straight A's - time for some bubbly
  by Darren Stones

  Sorry folks, I can’t help myself – feeling happy. Just received my final assessment for my Freelance Photography course with Thomson E…

  Sorry folks, I can’t help myself – feeling happy. Just received my final assessment for my Freelance Photography course with Thomson Education Direct – it was an A. I achieved ten straight A’s for the course and I’m rapt. I didn’t take an easy way out when doing my assignments. I did more than required and that has been recognised by my tutor. I’ve just commenced the Professional Freelance Journalism course with Thomson Education Direct, and to date it looks very interesting. Time for a glass or two of bubbly. Cheers.

• Befuddled, Bamboozled and Betrayed
  by lianne

  READER BEWARE: what follows is a perhaps tedious, lengthy, self-indulgent bit of prose that reflects a somewhat disheartened spirit today…

  READER BEWARE: what follows is a perhaps tedious, lengthy, self-indulgent bit of prose that reflects a somewhat disheartened spirit today. Tomorrow will be another, better day, I’m sure. Lay the blame for it – should you manage to get through it all – on the fact that today I accomplished the tense task of filing my taxes – lol. (And to give credit where credit is due, I borrowed the phrase tense task of taxes from my dearest friend, Joan Ireland.) All my adult life, if you asked me who I was / I’d have responded in this order: / I’m a teacher, a reader, a political animal, / a private, part time writer as a means of / personal expression only, a thinker. / Then I’d have added wife, mother, daughter, / sister, friend, kind of artsy-craftsy artist of / no note whatsoever. / Teacher – that’s how I identified myself / first and foremost. For the last 25 years of my teaching career / I taught sociology, social justice and religion / to high school seniors. / My passion was justice – / in politics, in the economic arena, for the poor, / for the middle class who were caught / in the struggle between those who have / too much and those who have too little, / justice for the oppressed – / for reasons of race or creed at home or elsewhere - / in El Salvador, which broke / my heart, the Sudan, Ethiopia, / East Timor, Tibet, / justice in the Middle East, / justice… giving each sacred human being his / due, his basic human rights that exist simply and / undeniably because he’s a human being, / justice for the environment we all share, / justice – period. And I tried not to just talk a good game / in the classroom but to model it, / to get my students involved in / taking care of their little piece of turf / to make a difference, / teaching them, by example, I hoped, / how to be critical thinkers / and problem solvers, / good decision-makers who regard the / needs of others at least as equal to their own. / I engaged them and others in what / I hoped was intelligent debate, / engaged myself in political campaigns, / the occasional protest against wars / or the rape of the middle class / or toxic waste. I gave that all up – most of it unwillingly, / beaten, I suppose, / by forces against which I apparently / had no weapons at all. / Gave up the husband to colon cancer / and a heart attack, linked by the / government’s own admission to / Agent Orange and his time in Vietnam, / the children to freedom, pursuing their / own paths in distant parts of the country, / the friends to distance too. / But I gave up teaching for other reasons / and they are what trouble me today. I tired of the struggle frankly – / The students I faced in that final five years / were very different than those / I’d taught in the first twenty – / more spoiled, more self-indulgent, / academically lazier, with little intellectual / curiosity and a kind of brainwashed political / ideology handed on over the dinner table / by ruggedly individualistic parents – when / they ever had dinner together. / These students, whether children of affluence / or children of struggle, had become hedonists / or escapists with no interests beyond material purchases, / the virtual reality of video games and computers, / the casual sex of entitlement, parentally supplied / alcohol or pervasive recreational drugs. / I saw even very good schools graduating / functionally illiterate young men and women, / universities unable to remediate that failure, / standards declining, literacy rates dropping, / a cultural negligence of all trying to seek / the lowest common denominator within / a grossly overindulged youth mindset. / When even the school administration supported / parents who wanted their babies to have fun instead / of challenging assignments or homework, I left. / When I no longer had the wherewithal, even / in partnership with other like-minded people / to affect educational standards at all, I quit. Politically, I was bamboozled once too often / and betrayed by those whose lofty rhetoric / was left behind after election, / like dusty volumes in an anachronistic library, / when confronted by the wheeling and dealing of / contemporary government. I sincerely / still believe, as I once so idealistically did / and adamantly taught, / that no single politician can / substitute charisma for character or the / courage to lose for telling the whole truth. / The last such politician to tell the unadulterated, / unvarnished truth was Jimmy Carter – / who spoke honestly about our malaise of spirit / and was promptly trampled for his truth / by wrathful patriots hungrier for sugarcoating / and slogans than for substance. / It only took another twenty-two years for him / to win the Nobel Prize and be recognized / for the decent, honorable, quietly determined, / peaceful man he was. That won’t win me kudos / I’m sure from big defense advocates, but / I’ll take peacemaking over saber rattling any day. So I’m disheartened, disabused, and / feeling hollowly empty of purpose. I fear / for those who still cling with sincere / hearts and strong conviction to dreams of / big change tied to the raft of rhetoric. / But perhaps I’m just an aging cynic / who has outlived her usefulness. / In the shelter of my own small circle / of affairs, I feel more in control / and less befuddled, bamboozled or betrayed.

• LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER ON REDBUBBLE
  by BLYTHART

  I am as interested in art history as I am in drawing in painting … sometimes even more so. I only just learned about Norman Lindsay an…

  I am as interested in art history as I am in drawing in painting … sometimes even more so. I only just learned about Norman Lindsay and his work today, through reading something written by Perugina on Redbubble. I love it when that happens. It struck me how much Redbubble has become a part of my art education. There is so much we can all learn from each other here on Redbubble. I have been here since August 2007 and I see it almost as my artistic home. It is a lively community where we can make friends, learn techniques, discuss art and show our work. We can also encourage each other to greater achievements by praising work we think is good or shows promise. There is even a section in the forum for those who like critiques. Many artists live alone or in small communities, where there is no-one to see their work. Redbubble provides an online gallery where we can display our work and I personally find myself spurred on to produce more artwork than I otherwise would. So without wishing to sound too crawling, three cheers to those who make Redbubble possible … organisers and members.

• Black and White Course at the ACP
  by alexkess

  I just started a B&W Film course at the ACP . Our teacher is Marco Bok...

  I just started a B&W Film course at the ACP . Our teacher is Marco Bok who is a great photographer. I am learning about developing, printing, enlarging Film. It is something I have never learned. In the first lesson we did enlarging in the darkroom which was very exiting. Putting my “Rayograph” (We did not have any film yet to develop so we whacked some objects on the paper and switched on the enlarger. a technique invented by Man Ray .) into the developer and seeing my creation emerge out of nowhere was amazing. A new love was born. I will post my best shots during this course to the site starting from next week, including my first attempt at rayography. Hope my scanner still works… It has been sitting in a box for 3 years… I hope you have a look once a while and join me on my journey…

• SOLD FIVE TEES & PRODUCTIVE DAY
  by webgrrl

  Today started early at 6.45am, after only 3 hours sleep.. First stop was Centerlink to start my Work Agreement thang.. yah i gotta be act…

  Today started early at 6.45am, after only 3 hours sleep.. First stop was Centerlink to start my Work Agreement thang.. yah i gotta be actively be lookin for work, now that my youngest is 14yo.. meaning the put forms in, every fortnite.. :S So anyways, treked there.. brought some RedBubble cards of mine, and other paraphernalia to show them what my skills are and what i wanted to do.. My own business.. She said i was talented, and should try and makes me an appointment at 2pm in Tecoma to go fill out more forms for my job network number etc.. After Centerlink, i goes straight to Hungry Jacks, cuz ive been hangin for one for about a year now..haha! Had a Whopper (no cheese unfortunately, cuz ive worked out im dairy intolerant) and got a swap of Orange Juice instead of Coke/soft drinks. I was happy :) Next went into Knox (shopping centre) and picked up school shoes for my youngest, then went into Kmart to see if i could find something to put all the cards from RB, so that i can show others (to sell) without dropping them all over the place (my presentations gotta be as premium as the cards right? hehehe) / Not much around to find.. looked thru the scrapbooking area, thinkin might find something there.. did sort of..but it was all too pink and girly for me… So went to the music/photo section of Kmart.. and looked at the albums.. But most of em, are for standard sized photos.. and as usual nuthing on the shelfs were in its place..or priced.. errr.. Found two different covered albums that took the ‘larger size’, grabbed the RB card in my bag.. to see if it fits..,,. Perfect. Walks to the price checker scanner thang….. and make it go beep! Price is $6! and holds 200 each album :) Bargain! I buy two :P On the way to the checkout i spots the latest Harry Potter book… and they have 10% off, so i grabs it for the kids. Caught the bus back to Ferntree Gully, walks up the hill and gets home.. Think about loggin into RB, but looks at time, and decides to get all the Identification and all proof of ID sorted out for my 2pm appointment at the job network thang.. At 1.30 i head back out again, walk down the hill.. to the train station this time and got there nice.. with just 1min to wait, and train arrives on time. It was a beautifull day to be walking around.. Spring is here :) At the Job Network place, i fill out forms and then was expecting to have someone sit with me to somewhat ask me (or even care) if i needed career guidance etc.., but nope, that was it… fill the forms and start lookin for work. I ask them about courses and it needed 3 different people to tell me that theres no grant/courses available in ‘my situation’ other than the numeracy & litracy, write resume, type of course! I says to them, “I can design you a fully functional operating LIVE website and all promotional flyers to promote it, in 24hours, i dont think im suited for the cpurse they suggest. And a fourth person to finally to confirmed that Yes, there is a Work SKills grant of $3000 available to certain people (which i qualify). I realised that i wasnt going to get the help, motivation and support i hoped i would get.. On the way back to Ferntree Gully i got chatting to this girl from Emerald at the train station in Tecoma, and i ended up giving her one of the Ferntree Gully Skyscape cards promo flyer, and she asked if she could have a few more to give her friends :) I get back home just after 3pm, and finally i boot up my computer, then got distracted by the kids, wasnt till about 2hours later.. .and im doin stuff, and i realise that i hadnt logged into RB yet…... I logs in…and then i said OMG!! OOhhWAAH! It says ive made FIVE t-shirt sales, in one hit! From the same person i gather.. and someone in Euro region. BIG THANK YOU, if you reading this, whoever you are! You the cherry in my sundae today ;) and oh by the way… SunGoddess wasnt one of the five sold! Woot! hehehe.. but its the debut sale for Sunshine Girl! well that was my day… How was yours? :)X

• PhotoshopWorld, September, 2007 – Notes and Impressions
  by Barry L White

  PhotoshopWorld, September, 2007 – Notes and Impressions I’ve been using Photoshop for several years (starting with ver. 5.5 and no…

  PhotoshopWorld, September, 2007 – Notes and Impressions I’ve been using Photoshop for several years (starting with ver. 5.5 and now using CS3). I’ve also attended several PhotoshopWorld conferences and find them a terrific learning experience. I know many of you on redbubble use Photoshop so I thought you might be interested in my impressions on this recent conference. When I first attended PhotoshopWorld (presented by the National Association of Photoshop Professionals-NAPP) I had just started using Photoshop and the sessions were excellent for someone starting out. I wondered if, at some point, it would simply be a repeat of what I had already learned. While that is true to some extent they have included some more advanced sessions aimed at the experienced photoshop user. Additionally, there are always new features in each release that I haven’t discovered myself so these conferences continue to be very worthwhile. I’m going to discuss only those sessions that I attended. They give each attendee a workbook that has the notes of all the sessions so you can check out and learn from the sessions you weren’t able to attend that were running concurrently. The Opening Session This is always mainly pure entertainment but they also usually have someone from Adobe talk about some of the things their research people are doing. It is clear that 3D and video are going to be a growth areas and Photoshop CS3 Extended supports this as well as the scientific and medical communities. One very interesting look into the future was a special lens that Adobe is working with. The lens is actually multiple lenses and looks something like an insect eye. The purpose of the lens is to focus over many different points in a scene. The software (research only at this time) then puts together all the different images captured and provides apparent infinite depth of field or variations in focus points (in focus or out of focus) at the click of the mouse. It certainly has some interesting possibilities. No mention, of course, if it will ever be a product but I enjoy hearing what they are experimenting with. Photoshop CS3 One-on-One by Deke McClelland In this session, Deke reviewed some of the new features in CS3. I picked up a couple tips I wasn’t aware of even though I’ve been using CS3 since the public beta was available. Here is some of what I learned: - when filtering items in Bridge if you click on an item then you see only the thumbnails for the item but what I did not know is that if you ALT click (OPTION on a MAC, I use Windows) on an item it will display the thumbnails for everything but that item within its category - he said he did not find the magnifier option in Bridge all that helpful, I only make note of that since I never found it that useful either, so it wasn’t just me - the new Brightness/Contrast Command in CS3 is significantly improved, I knew about this but he demonstrated the difference by clicking the Use Legacy box and the difference is easy to see, that’s the only useful purpose for that checkbox since you should never want to use the legacy version - he highly recommends watching the histogram palette for clipping when doing any conversions to black and white - one nice new feature of the clone source palette is the ability to flip the area you are cloning from, he demonstrated this by cloning the right eye of a person and replacing their left eye (which was closed), you do this by setting the “W” offset to -100% - the new Photomerge is incredible, this one I knew about since I use it a lot, if you haven’t tried it you should, it can even handle handheld panoramic attempts very well - a couple tips regarding the new Refine Edge for selections, this is very powerful and I picked up some things I didn’t know about this – if you use Contract/Expand then it needs some feathering / – the Contrast slider is used to sharpen edges of a selection / – Radius traces the contour of an image as you apply a blur and is therefore better than feathering - use Smart Sharpen as a Smart Filter (if you haven’t used smart filters yet you’ll find that they are very powerful in the ability to go back and make changes), when you create a smart filter (with Smart Sharpen or any other eligible filter) you will see a mask for the Smart Filter set (very powerful option) and below that the filter (or filters) listed, just to the right of the filter name you will see a couple little up arrows, right click on those arrows and one of the options is Edit Smart Filter Blending Options, this is very powerful in that you can select a different blending option for each filter There was more, of course, but those were the highlights for me. By the way, Deke is an excellent presenter and instructor. As Easy As 1,2,3 by Ben Willmore Ben is also an outstanding instructor and in this session he gave a series of easy examples to create some interesting effects. He showed how to use the Extract Filter to remove an image of fire which can then be placed on another image and you can see through the flames as one would expect. Every time I’ve seen Ben use the Extract Filter he makes it look simple and this time it was as easy as (well that’s the title of his session). However, there was one other suggestion before he started and that was to photograph the fire against a black background. 1. In the Extract Filter window he used a large brush to paint over the entire image (fire only, not the background). / 2. The trick here is to then turn on the Force Foreground check box and then with the Eyedropper tool click on an orangish-yellow area of the flames (obviously referring to the specific image being shown). Click OK and you now have an image of the fire with the background removed / 3. Now drag the fire and place onto another image. Here’s a tip to improve a rather dull sky. You do need some detail in the sky but if it is a cloudy dull mostly overcast day this works well. / 1. create a new layer (empty), set your foreground color to a neutral gray that is a little brighter than 50% gray / 2. paint over the sky on this new layer with a brush using the foreground color that you set / 3. change the blending mode of this layer to Color Burn / If it’s too strong or not strong enough try a different shade of gray. Create your own sunset. This tip uses Gradient Map and does a nice job. / 1. Create a Gradient Map Adjustment layer with the mode set to color and click OK to enter the Gradient Map dialog box / 2. Select a preset gradient that contains three colors (blue to orange to yellow is good) / 3. Customize the gradient by changing the preset color to R68 G29 B22 for the one on the left, R134 G30 B14 for the one in the middle and R255 G238 B43 for the one on the right. Now reposition the squares until you get the effect you like. Here is an extraneous tip. If you are using Free Transform and you can’t see the entire area of the object you are working with hit CNTL 0 (COMMAND on a MAC) and the window will be resized to show the entire area. Photoshop For Geeks There were three sessions aimed at people who are looking for something more technical. They had beginning, intermediate and advanced versions. I sat in on the intermediate session for awhile. The discussion involved creating and debugging scripts. It was interesting to get into something more computer intensive (my background made me curious) but I’m not writing scripts so I didn’t stay of the entire session. It would be something interesting to work on but the photography certainly keeps me busy. I was glad to see sessions that were getting into the technical aspects of processing images with a computer. Sharpening Reinvented by Deke McClelland One of the things that Deke discussed that I found very interesting was how to properly view an image when you are sharpening it. Most recommendations are to look at an image at 100% magnification when trying to make decisions on sharpening. He said this is best if that image is going to be viewed on a computer (on a website, as an example). However, if you are sharpening for a print, he recommends that you view it at 25% to get the best idea of how the sharpening will look on a print. I’ve often wondered about this since if you have the ruler active when you view an image in Photoshop, and set magnification to 100%, an inch on the ruler is much longer than an actual inch so you’re clearly looking at the image at a greater magnification than you would see on the print. This is dependent on the resolution you are working with but if you typically print images using 300dpi (or close to that), as I do, this can make a big difference. He discussed Unsharp Mask and explained some of what is going on. Sharpening is effected by increasing edge contrast. The Radius option defines the thickness of the edge and a value less than 0.3 will not give much of an effect. Threshold rules out or includes pixels based on the difference in the pixels. He recommended using a High Amount and Low Radius. He discussed Smart Sharpen and said that the checkbox called More Accurate really doesn’t do much but it is helpful when working on wood grain or fibers, otherwise it is not necessary. However, for low res images it may be worthwhile. There is a box called “Remove” in Smart Sharpen and you should select the Lens Blur option for that box with images from digital cameras. Also, the radius value you normally use should be increased by 50% when using the Lens Blur option. The motion blur option should be used if the image is not sharp due to camera movement. Advanced Masking Techniques by Tim Grey Tim covered this in the Tech Expo Center which is where vendors set up their booths and you can check out the latest products. There are several “mini-sessions” going on in this area and Tim did one on masking. He discussed basic techniques that I’ve seen before and used often, but he also covered something I had been wondering about for awhile and it is something that should have been obvious to me but wasn’t, until he said it. That is the technique for applying more than one mask to a layer or set of layers. The simple answer is nested groups and, like I said, it should have been obvious. If you have several layers and want a layer mask to apply in the same way to all the layers simply put the layers in a group and use the mask on the group. This is something I do often for this purpose. Now if you want another mask on top of the first mask you simply create a new group which will have its own mask and put the first group inside the new group. That is, nested groups. It should have been obvious to me but wasn’t until Tim mentioned it. This is why I attend sessions even though they may cover topics I am very familiar with. There is always some little hint or tip that I never thought of. Shooting for Photoshop by Ben Willmore Ben discussed some things to do when shooting images that you will later put together with HDR (High Dynamic Range). He uses a 2 stop difference between exposures. He says handheld can work with HDR. This was somewhat of a surprise to me but I’m going to give it a try. When putting the images together with HDR there are several options / - Exposure and Gamma (he said this is rarely used) / - Highlight Compression (he said not to use this) / - Equalize Histogram (he said not to use this) / - Local Adaptation (this is the one to use, probably always) When using Local Adaptation expand the curve box (this is the only option that offers a functional curve) and adjust the Radius and Threshold to remove halos. Work with the curve box to get the image the way you want it. He also gave a suggestion for trying to simulate infrared using the Black and White Adjustment Layer which is new to CS3. Start by increasing green and yellow and decreasing blue and cyan and, of course, set it to monochrome. Moving the sliders in these directions gives you a good start. He covered many different situations but one that I found very interesting was a technique to give an image the color cast found in a natural light situation but because of the low light a flash was required. Shooting in natural light would result in a blurred image either due to subject movement or camera movement since a slow shutter speed was necessary. So you use flash, you get a nice sharp image (no movement) but the color cast of the scene is lost since light source is now from the flash. The way to resolve this is to take a second shot without the flash. This will give you the color of the scene even if it is significantly blurry. Now in Photoshop you simply use Match Color to put the natural color from the image without flash over the image where the flash was necessary. Very simple and effective and something to keep in mind if you are ever in that situation. Photomerge has been greatly improved in CS3. It handles handheld shots very well. He said the Auto option works fine and implied there was no need to be concerned with the other options. Color by the Numbers by Dan Margulis This was a two part session; part 2 was just an extension of part 1. I had seen this offered at previous conferences but always had a conflict. I also wasn’t sure it would be something I would really want to use. I was wrong. This session was amazing and very enlightening. However, it was not for the novice. He moved very quickly and did not explain how things worked, just that he was doing it and what result he was trying to achieve. It certainly helped to have a good understanding of Curves, blending modes, Channels and color modes. He also used Curves as one typically would when working in CMYK (white on the left, black on the right). Most of us do it reversed as is typical in RGB mode so you needed to keep that in mind while he was quickly adjusting Curves. He used Apply Image a lot to pick up a specific channel and apply a specific blending mode. He also changed color modes from RGB to LAB to show how effective you can be in enriching the blacks when working in LAB. He would take some very dull images and fix the color and contrast just by getting the numbers correct. He first identified what area of the image should be the brightest and what area should be the darkest. He then got the color correct and went on from there. He emphasized that it is very important to get the color correct before doing anything else because if you did not you could introduce significant problems and with “color by the numbers” it’s not a subjective visual change, you simply get it right and then move on the make it look the way you want. Like I said, this was a rather advanced class but probably the most enlightening for me since I’m now going to approach all my images a little differently. He recommends setting the darkest part of an image where you still want to see detail to R=15, G=15,B=15 and setting the brightest highlight where you still want to see detail to R=245,G=245,B=245. Use a Threshold Adjustment Layer to find the white point and black point (in an area you care about) and click on these with eye dropper sampler tool. Then you can go into Curves and adjust each channel to the values stated above. Once done you have the proper color for your image and you can proceed with other changes. For improving contrast look at the channels, select the channel with the least contrast and use Curves on that channel to obtain the desired contrast and then change the blending mode for that adjustment layer to Luminosity so you do not affect the color in the image, only the contrast. This is a very interesting technique in that you can adjust the contrast only on the channel that needs it. He also had a session called “Five Minutes to a Picture Postcard”. In that session he used the same techniques I discussed above only he moved even more quickly. He took some very dull images and made the colors brilliant like you would expect on a Picture Postcard. I’m sure this was difficult for many people to follow but when you get to the point where you can follow what he is doing it is pretty amazing. Optimizing Photoshop – Sponsored by Adobe This was another advanced technical session (I was really glad to see these at PhotoshopWorld). Two computer technicians from Adobe, Scott Byer and Adam Jenigim, talked about performance management and system tuning and requirements with respect to Photoshop on both MAC and Windows platforms. I’ve wanted to see something like this for some time. They said that the information presented would be posted on Scott’s blog at Session Notes. Last time I checked it was not there yet. Hopefully, it will be soon. They talked about optimal and critical available memory levels when running Photoshop and suggested that you want available memory to be in the 20-40MB range. Many other performance issues were discussed and I’m waiting for the session notes to be posted on their blog. Mastering Curves by Ben Willmore As I’ve said before, Ben is an outstanding instructor. He has the ability to make any subject seem simple and easy to understand. This is a session of his that I have attended before but he has updated it and there is always something new I learn from him. Things to keep in mind when using Curves / - angle determines contrast / - a steeper curve yields more contrast and detail / - a flatter curve yields less contrast and detail and you want to avoid the curve going downhill unless you are trying to achieve a special effect / - the part of the curve that goes downhill will give you colors opposite to the original colors of that area of your image / - set the blending mode to luminosity to prevent color shifts / - when you want to mark the position on the curve that represents a specific part of your image you hold down the CNTL key (COMMAND on MAC) and click on that point in the image but if you want that spot marked on the curve for each of the channels (instead of the RGB composite) then you also hold down the SHIFT key Correct Everything in Camera Raw 4 by Deke McClelland PhotoshopNews has an update of the features of CameraRaw 4.1. You can read it at / Camera Raw 4.1 The clarity slider in CameraRaw is like Unsharp Mask with a low amount and high radius. It changes contrast along the edges (similar to sharpening). The Curves tab has two options. These are independent of each other so if you change one you will not see it affect the other. What this does is give you the ability to make two different Curves adjustments in CameraRaw. You can only see the effect of sharpening in CameraRaw if you are viewing at 100% so if it looks like nothing is changing check that you are at 100%. The Detail option is like Threshold in Unsharp Mask. Sharpening in CameraRaw only affects the luminance of an image (no color shift). By holding down the ALT key (OPTION on the MAC) you can see the effect of the sharpening slides when you move them. If you do this while moving the Masking slider you see a black and white image, the black areas are not sharpened and the white areas are sharpened. Deke still prefers to sharpen in Photoshop rather than in CameraRaw. (I guess maybe he doesn’t really correct everything in CameraRaw). I hope you found this helpful or at least interesting. Obviously, much more was covered at the conference. I’ve just included some of the highlights here. I am a member of NAPP (National Association of Photosohop Professionals) and have found it an excellent source for learning about Photoshop.

• so...
  by zarathustra

  Inspiration. Where does it come from? Does the brain juice up chemicals and channels itself to a tune that radically lin…

  Inspiration. Where does it come from? Does the brain juice up chemicals and channels itself to a tune that radically lines symetry and synergy? Shit There is no way to know. I can only say that there is something that definately drives us and in some crazy way makes sense out of what to others may just see as senseless fucking jabber. The beat we march to is different in everyone of us and we should not take that for granted. Pop music composers have what I like to call a common demoninator with the rest of us, or maybe the majority, surely taking in consideration cultural education and all sorts of other outer influences and factors. Its those that transend and stand out and alone regardless of positve or negative feedback from thier sorroundings and fellow brothers, that find true meaning to their time here on earth. Shit!!! For all its worth (To you all, probably not much but, I lost the point I was trying to get across to you) Fuck it, at least I’m not watching primetime television and feeding on the system’s own MSG, and belive me it comes in all forms. The way I see it, either I’m crazy, or I’m a genius… Or I could just be like the majority and just be wishing I was a breed apart. Where do I get my inspiration from, you ask? Well, I think I get my inspiration from pain, the desire to find meaning to what sometimes seems meaningless, love, a pretty smile,the quiet whisper of “I love you “I once heard many years ago from an old girlfriend as I gently Invaded her body. You see, there is no need to be subtle anymore. Until I grow up or give in and realize I can’t go against the wind all of the time or, I thrust to the next level of thinking thus not making my random thoughts I waste of my time and yours, I’ll keep on keeping on. The Good thing about my quest for the truth is that there is no solid answer and as ideas and principles do, the truth keeps changing… I’ll be busy for awhile and I think you should too. Trust me even senseless rants like mine have a meaning somewhere in the universe and in time. See you on top of the mountain my friends and remember if the load you have is too heavy, its not a sign to drop it, but to prove to yourself, you are more than what you are right now. Have a wonderful day. Jonathan Virgilio Baez

• Looking for the creative bone in my body...
  by Jodi Webb

  ...I’m sure there’s one in there somewhere, I just have to find it. / I’m thinking, after looking at the photos around Red Bubble, that my…

  ...I’m sure there’s one in there somewhere, I just have to find it. / I’m thinking, after looking at the photos around Red Bubble, that my eye for a great photo leaves a lot to be desired, and I have a lot of work in front of me to get up to speed. / The work on here is incredible, and if I can get to half the level that most of you are at, then I will be very happy. / Is photography of this level a natural talent, or is it really something that can be learned? / Are there any good part-time course around that help? Or am I just a lost cause? LOL.

• Thank you for your support
  by TrEaSuReDiMaGeS

  I just wanted to thank all those who have added some of my work to their favorites. It’s very encouraging and I so appreciate you taking…

  I just wanted to thank all those who have added some of my work to their favorites. It’s very encouraging and I so appreciate you taking the time to do that. This is all new to me, and I have SOOOO much to learn. But this is a great classroom for learning!! There are many Great Teachers here. Thanks again everyone!! :-)

• Urban Wildlife
  by John Hooton

  New Group – Urban Wildlife Hosted by Nic Relton...

  New Group – Urban Wildlife Hosted by Nic Relton and myself. We’re really keen to see images of wildlife in an urban environment! We don’t mind if your bird is perched on a chimney, your butterfly is on a wall, or if your polar bear is raiding a garbage bin. We simply want to see those images that have not been taken in the wild or country. We are happy to see pictures of all wildlife including insects and wild flowers as long as they have been captured in the urban environment including gardens and parks. To help make this educational, please include the name of the species you have photographed!

• Enlightment
  by Stephen Mitchell

  I often read through the various forum-entry’s around RB and many blogs around the “WWW”: . Sometimes I feel the need to …

  I often read through the various forum-entry’s around RB and many blogs around the “WWW”: . Sometimes I feel the need to respond, but invariably they end up quite lengthy. Thus, I often convert my thoughts to prose or short stories for publication here. / / Here are three separate yet entwined written pieces that I didn’t want to be a statement for one situation, but an idea for for a few. 1. Perpetuate the evil, and life will remain as is. Finding solution through education and compromise, and your answers will help make a difference. Neither your religion nor ballot makes the country, it’s who YOU are that makes the people the country. 2. While many seem to think that burning flags, raising effigies and vandalizing for the sake of revenge is the only way to retaliate, I prefer to dwell on what I do have. I have free speech, but I don’t have to use it all the time. I could march in the street, but I prefer to shoot photographs of such events. I have food, water and a roof over my head, yet somehow I represent the minority. Civilisation needs to be built by the people, not the geography nor the state. 3. According to wikipedia , ‘enlightenment’ is the acquisition of new wisdom or understanding enabling clarity of perception . / In Zen it is the state of being with no mind, the disappearance of the ego, the loss of all identification with the body and the mind, and the freedom from beliefs, opinions, ideals and concepts. Not to be confused with escapism, enlightenment is attained by those who don’t feel the need to pass opinion nor judgment on everything. Rather, they listen, learn and apply. Ok, so it’s a little rhetoric that may seem a tad naive, but the concept is amazingly simple. We should all try it sometime. PS. When I was a teenager, yes, my views were narrow-minded and uneducated. Twenty two years later I now have a more ‘enlightened’ view of religion, civilisation, communication and many other subjects. I’m not an expert in any one thing, but I do have an opinion on most. When I don’t know enough about a subject to make an informed opinion, I do enough research to play ‘devils advocate’. Thanks to the internet, education and enlightenment is free. Yes, this piece was previously in my ‘Writing’.

• "I Wouldn't Dissect You!" Goes to Australia!!!
  by Crockpot

  UPDATE! / I just figured out who bought the tee. We have frog lady to thank for making our week…

  UPDATE! / I just figured out who bought the tee. We have frog lady to thank for making our weekend! Thanks so much!!! Please be sure to check out her awesome gallery! A HUGE THANK YOU to our mystery friend in Australia for buying ‘I Wouldn’t Dissect You’! You’ve made our weekend!! XD Dissection is cruel and unnecessary. With the alternative methods available today, schools can save thousands of dollars AND thousands of lives. Some things to consider are psychological impact, education, animal welfare, environment, cost, and chemical exposure. / / ALL proceeds will be donated to the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine. / / “To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can have.” / ~ Theodore H. White, American political writer (1915-1986)

• Picture Imperfect: A Portrait Journey of Eating Disorder Recovery
  by Erin Kroll

  Picture Imperfect Maine photographer paints a more / hopeful picture of eating disorder recovery / PORTLAND, ME- Photographer,...

  Picture Imperfect Maine photographer paints a more / hopeful picture of eating disorder recovery / PORTLAND, ME- Photographer, Erin Kroll, has a lot in common with the images she captures. A sense of stillness and depth lights her eyes as she speaks about her battle overcoming anorexia and how courage came unexpectedly through the lens of a camera. Eating disorders, like anorexia, are serious illnesses with a biological basis that are often influenced by emotional and cultural factors, making recovery even more difficult. “There is so much silence and shame around eating disorders in our culture.” says Kroll. “When I was sick I just wanting to literally disappear, a wanted to be invisible.” And Kroll isn’t alone, according to the National Eating Disorders Association, nearly 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life-and-death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Millions more are struggling with binge eating disorder. Without recovery, Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. Kroll speaks candidly about her struggle, with the same tender grace that comes across in her work. It’s from this authentic and vulnerable place that she inspires. “I stopped shooting when I stopped eating”, says Kroll, “I didn’t touch my camera for two years. I was consumed by fear, anxiety and self-doubt…I starved myself of everything that could possibly make me happy and fulfilled. My eating disorder pulled me away from myself and all the things that gave joy and meaning to my life. Unfortunately, photography was one of them. There was no passion, no purpose, and no voice. I was totally empty. “ Kroll says that her road back to health began with wanting to be more than empty. “People always ask me how I was able to ‘let go’, I don’t really have this elaborate answer.” Kroll mentions that it is common for people with eating disorders to contemplate recovery. Tragically, the majority of those who suffer continue to be affected throughout their lives. “There’s no such thing as shotgun recovery,” says Kroll. “There is no external cure, no pill, no self-help book that can free someone from the illness that they have created. In the beginning, I put my recovery in the hands of someone else. It was exactly like riding shotgun off a cliff with no one at the wheel. I crashed horribly.” “In the end, we are each responsible for our own wellness. Loved ones can encourage and validate, but they to have to learn to let go, they can’t save you if you don’t want it and you have to want it- you have to want to get better! You have to think about what you’ve lost and decide what you want recovery to mean for you. I was sick and tired of just existing, of being completely defined and governed by my eating disorder. I wanted the things it took from my life; I longed for fullness. Most importantly, I wanted to live! I saw a glimmer of something more in me and that was enough-I truly wanted to get better.” Kroll’s journey led her to the New England Eating Disorders Program at Mercy Hospital in Portland . “I was reluctant and terrified, but I was out of options. My life was spinning out of control. My body was shutting down. I knew I had surrender fully to recovery and I needed to be in an intensive treatment program to do it. The months I spent at Mercy were the most challenging and rewarding in my life!” Kroll explains that combined with intensive group therapy, weekly art therapy sessions helped her reclaim her voice and rekindle her creative spirit. Slowly she began to shoot again. “I felt like I was seeing everything for the first time. I felt more connected with the world around me, more patient and open. I felt alive. Each click of the shutter was a moment to celebrate life. It was amazing.” Celebrating life and exposing unexpected and often overlooked beauty is a common theme in Kroll’s photographs. As she works to cultivate her own inner beauty and self-worth, she strives to capture in her work, what she calls the aesthetic of imperfect, “It’s not easy” she says, “photography, by nature, can be such a superficial art. I find the more I appreciate myself, the more I am able to draw substance and soul into my images.” Drawing inspiration from Zen Buddhism, eastern philosophy, surrealism and the graphic design, her photographs convey a subtle but important message,. “I spent years chasing the impossible dream of ‘perfect’ and it nearly killed me.”I was unable to grow as an artist. I was always trying to create the perfect piece, take the perfect shot, and wait for the perfect light, use the best equipment. It just wasn’t happening. I continued to feel like a failure. Failure doesn’t exist in an imperfect world. Until I learned to let go with grace and dignity and accept imperfection, I simply could not appreciate the authentic beauty within and around me.” In a little less than a year, Kroll has transformed her life and the lives of those around her. Last winter, she launched Pink Dragonfly Clothing, an inspirational t-shirt company that supports eating disorder awareness and education. Seeing a tremendous need for Eating Disorder Outreach in her community, Kroll has set out to establish a non-profit that will offer free, recovery-based, support services and educational programs in Southern Maine . Kroll hopes to be able to offer the model nationally in the future. “Anorexia starved my spirit and silenced my voice. For fifteen years I hid my illness from the world and myself. I lived in shame, secrecy and denial. Picking up my camera again, returning to my creative roots, has freed me from the silence. Now all I want to do is engage, educate and inspire.” In a media culture that is overrun with harmful images, icons, and ideals of beauty, Kroll says that as a photographer contributing to the media landscape, she has a responsibility to produce work that inspires hope and represents courage. “Somehow, it’s become socially expectable and expected of artists, especially photographers, to document tragedy suffering and the grotesque, as a means to validate authenticity in the image and human experience. I am not discounting the value that painful imagery have in our media , and I’m not denying the existence of suffering, I just want to people to understand that there is another side to it all, another story to tell.” Telling the ‘other side of the story’ is exactly what Kroll is doing with her latest project, Hope/Full: The Warrior Portraits. As traveling interactive photography exhibition with a companion book, Hope/Full will tell the inspirational story of people who have recovered from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, celebrating the fullness they have found in health, their passion for life and the people they have touched along the way. While still in the early stages of production, Kroll says that she has already received requests from people across the country eager to sit for portraits or support the project, but she says that many more are needed. “There is strength in numbers. The more representation and diversity I can bring to this project the more powerful the message will be.” She encourages anyone who is interested in participating to contact her. In bringing the exhibition into communities and schools Hope/Full will engage a new dialogue about eating disorders, self-esteem, and body image, ” one you won’t find in the media or popular culture” says Kroll, and inspire hope in those still suffering in silence and solitude. # # Resources & Information For more information about Hope/Full: The Warrior Portraits Project call 207-615-2283 or email Erin Kroll at erinkroll@yahoo.com or visit www.erinkrollphotography.com Body Positive Outfitter, Pink Dragonfly Clothing Co supports self-esteem and eating disorder awareness, helping fund research and educational programs. Visit www.pinkdragonfly.org for more information About the Artist: Portland native, Erin Kroll spent the majority of her childhood scribbling crayon on her bedroom walls. Naturally, a camera seemed like a better alternative. Kroll studied photography and design at the Harrow School of Communications and Creative Industries at the University of Westminster in London . She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Goucher College in Towson , Maryland . In 2004 she returned to Maine to pursue a career in marketing and advertising. When not looking through a camera lens, Kroll enjoys traveling, exploring the Maine outdoors, and giving back to her community.

• Self Taught
  by Elena Ray

  As an unschooled photographer I don’t consider myself self taught. I worked for and was trained by a lot of great photographers. It is th…

  As an unschooled photographer I don’t consider myself self taught. I worked for and was trained by a lot of great photographers. It is this training I wrestle with. I approach photography as: problems requiring solutions. This especially as a result of working years in advertising, a very muscular venue for image making. You can really get off on it. But something essential was transmuted in the process. Maybe this is how some people feel about school. You’re grateful because it made you strong and gets you accepted, but for what, if the process isn’t yours? As a painter, I am self taught, or self teaching. Most of the work is simple abstractions, mixed with photography or collage, and mostly a study of textures and tone. Paint is magic. No matter how I feel, I can always paint.

• Another Aussie Saves A Frog!!
  by Crockpot

  A HUGE THANK YOU to our mystery buyer down under who just bought “I Wouldn’t Dissect You”! Thanks sooooo much!!!!!! !http://images-...

  A HUGE THANK YOU to our mystery buyer down under who just bought “I Wouldn’t Dissect You”! Thanks sooooo much!!!!!!

• The Law of Self-Reflection
  by Philosophy Lee

  The Law of Self-Reflection is the name I gave to the following thought: Everything you SAY, see, think and sense is a perfect reflecti…

  The Law of Self-Reflection is the name I gave to the following thought: Everything you SAY, see, think and sense is a perfect reflection of yourself. / It’s that simple. If you see the world as a positive, wondrous place, / you’re reflecting your positive essence. The Law of Self-Reflection is a / wonderful tool for instantly improving your positivity. Pay attention to what / you say, and how you feel. Be positive. Learn. Enjoy.

• AUTO will no longer be holding me hostage, but that flash is making me yelp.
  by robpixaday

  A long time ago, when dinosaurs still wore polyester, I learned how to take pictures. My boss told me I could make more money at work if …

  A long time ago, when dinosaurs still wore polyester, I learned how to take pictures. My boss told me I could make more money at work if I did shoots myself, and she let me take the company camera home (an old Pentax SLR, with no “AUTO”) after telling me the basics. She knew I would go from there. The first couple of rolls were OK, no miserable shots. But the pix weren’t what I saw, you know? So I found a book about photography. This was 1983, and here’s the book: The Good Guide for Bad Photographers What I learned in that book was so helpful that I was able to take pretty good pictures, in many conditions. I bought my own camera (Pentax ME Super) and a bunch of really cool lenses (macro set, telephoto, diffraction filters, etc.). My boss let me spend a couple of weeks with a guy who used an old portrait camera—the kind with the sliding gizmo on rails and little curtain in the back? That uses plates? It was an antique his father used in Italy, something like this one. He was truly an artist and he taught me wonderful things about light and how we can sculpt and paint with it, if we try. My Pentax had an AUTO setting but I ignored it, at his suggestion. Anyway, the job changed, years went by, and eventually I stopped taking pix. Film was too $$$. Then in 2005 or so I entered the digital world, with a Canon S2 IS (the camera I’ve been using here). I knew how to take good pix, but there were no focus rings and no easy ways to play around with the f-stop, etc. So what did I do? I let AUTO coax me into his world of ease, and charm me into forgetting everything I learned. RedBubble (you guys!!) has made me want to leave AUTO. He’s smothering me! And you know what? I found my old copy of that book! It’s right here, beside me. OK, so it was written for non-digital cameras. But the basics still apply. And it’s all coming back to me. That little balancing act that we do….....that push-pull of light and darkness….it’s catnip!!! I’m so excited by the thought of feeling light in my hands again that I dreamed about shutter speeds last night! In case you’ve missed the earlier blabbing I’ve done about this, here’s the first entry the first journal entry. Another one follows it that explains this flash thing: Last night I tried out the telephoto lens (300mm!!!!!!) on a bunny in the backyard. Worked great, got a decent shot in spite of my messing up the speed. BUT the flash flew up again and fired! Of course I yelped, and jerked the camera. I had flash disabled! It said it was disabled! I need to put a stop to that. Having the flash fire at a long distance is just silly and uses up battery life. And I don’t like flash, generally. So that’s a project for later this weekend: disarming the flash. Thanks for reading this far …have a great day!!!!

• My boys' school reports came today!
  by Teresa Schultz

  Zooty’s best report ever! / of nine subjects they are given percentages for, he got 5 above 80% and 2 above 90%. (for social science he…

  Zooty’s best report ever! / of nine subjects they are given percentages for, he got 5 above 80% and 2 above 90%. (for social science he got 98%!). / Basti continues to do well and got 1 above 80% and 6 above 90% (also got 98% for social science, 94% for technology, and 99% for maths! / They have worked so hard for these last exams, and I am so very proud of them, my little darlings!

• Help Save UK Astronomy
  by Dave Pearson

  If you live in the UK, and if you care abut education and science, especially astronomy and physics, please have a look at this...

  If you live in the UK, and if you care abut education and science, especially astronomy and physics, please have a look at this and this.

• Galapagos Trip
  by Sue Cullumber

  I was accepted into the Toyota International Teacher program and will be going to the Galapagos Islands in November. I will be traveling …

  I was accepted into the Toyota International Teacher program and will be going to the Galapagos Islands in November. I will be traveling with 29 other teachers from across the U.S. to work with Galapagueño teachers in promoting environmental stewardship in the classroom and community. It is so hard to believe that I am going – there will be so many photographic opportunities. If any of you have ever been there and can offer me some advice, that would be great. I’m looking for an inexpensive underwater camera – anyone know of a good one. I will just be snorkeling, but would like to come back with some picks of the amazing underwater world in that area. Thanks. Sue

• Body Worlds Exhibit
  by Jessie M

  My class and school went to see the Body Worlds exhibit @ the Baltimore Science Center… I HIGHLY recommend going to see the closest Bod…

  My class and school went to see the Body Worlds exhibit @ the Baltimore Science Center… I HIGHLY recommend going to see the closest Body Worlds exhibit to you! You can’t take pictures of it though… :( It is a very educational and well done exhibit worth the money you pay for. Here’s more info on the exhibit for those who wonder what it is. Body Worlds Thanks for reading!!

• Colleges :D
  by LizVengeance

  I just got a thing from MICA / and they want me to go there! :DDD So I’m gonna visit this fall / and I’m gonna visit SCAD does/has an…

  I just got a thing from MICA / and they want me to go there! :DDD So I’m gonna visit this fall / and I’m gonna visit SCAD does/has anyone gone there/goes there and has any info that might help me?

• NYIP group is up and running!!!
  by kellyjomitchell

  i have started a new group for students and alumni of the new york institute of photography. if you are or have been a student (or want t…

  i have started a new group for students and alumni of the new york institute of photography. if you are or have been a student (or want to learn more about the program) please stop by and check it out!!!! it will be a great place to share ideas, ask for and offer advice and critique and share our experiences! http://www.redbubble.com/groups/nyip-students-and-alumni