iffles.com

f/4.0, 1/400 sec, 65mm, ISO 200

The above photo was a pretty popular one of mine on flickr recently, so I thought I’d throw it in here even though it really has nothing to do with any of the links you see below.

• Still a bit confused about aperture is and how it affects your photos? Check out this article about aperture from The Discerning Photographer.
• I’m a Gimp Girl for life, so I don’t need convincing, but if you’re still debating if Gimp or Photoshop is the way to go, check out these 10 reasons why Gimp is better than Photoshop at Light Stalking.
• Also at Light Stalking, they’ve posted 7 things photographers should never do – it’s an interesting list (and one that I’m sure we’d all love to add to).
• Looking for some tips on reflection shots? Claire has you covered. Check out these 6 tips for photographing reflections!
• Upgrading your camera? PetaPixel has 5 tips for reselling your camera if you’re looking to get rid of your old one.
• Finally, I liked to wish a “happy birthday” to Ronan Palliser’s photoblog – you’ve seen his blog pop up a number of times in these Weekend Links entries – mostly because I love his photography and the way he writes about every shot he takes. He celebrated one year of blog posts with a flash-lit cake, and of course, a detailed description of how he was able to get the shot! (btw, Ronan himself had a birthday earlier on in the week,

And now in the Your Links section:

• Doesn’t look like Maciek has posted since late last year, but maybe if all leave comments about the beautiful photography in entries like this, we’ll start seeing some more entries! (Btw, that link takes you to the translated-to-English version of the page)
• I don’t know if suewells2511 actually wanted to show up in this section, but I was checking out her 365 project on her blog (she posts them once a week) and decided you guys had to see week 7 if only for that amazing landscape shot.
• Jessica recently started her photoblog. I’m excited because I’ve seen some of her photos on flickr that I love so I think I’ll enjoy the blog, too. I know I liked her the shots from her first photowalk!

Well, its about that time that I show you my favorite photos submitted to the monthly theme group on flickr for February. The theme last month was “shapes” and…you guys, you did amazing! This is SO HARD for me, because I really want to showcase ALL of your photos because there were so many good ones! I’m really impressed with the number of shapes you guys were able to find, I thought this was hard theme, but you guys blew me away!

There is already some amazing Black and White photography in the group pool, so be sure to join on the Mono March fun!

by hexapetala - I love the bright red of the stop sign in contrast to the muted tones in the background. Related, I like the harsh lines of the stop sign in contrast to the smooth circle in back. Great shapes!

by Eva und Michael - love all the different shapes in this skyline, especially all the repeating windows on the building on the right.

by dpksh - First, I'm amazed at anyone that can knit. Second, I love the triangle formed by the knitting needles. Third, I love the pretty colors :)

by kristenmoss - fun corkscrew shape in the foreground and bokeh diamonds in the background! Love!

by shirley319 - so many shapes! So many colors. Is this a school art project? It looks like it, which makes it that much cooler. Think of how many kids are so proud of these creations!

by shannon.waller - so apparently I really like contrasting shapes, because I love the bricks surrounding a circle, which holds the ... what is that? wood? Whatever it is, it's more skinny rectangles. Neat!

by Lillume - gah! Love! The colors, the DOF, the repeating pattern, the CIRCLES!

by moveandfire - windows make great shapes, don't they? and I loved the wall behind the window. Btw, moveandfire, I love your flickr profile icon :)

by GenBug - is it too cheesy to say I love this? Fantastic reflection, too!

by PhoenixRyzing - from the description of this photo on flickr: "Everyone takes a photograph of the tops of crayons. I decided for the photo challenge of "shapes" I would take a picture of the circular bottoms." - what a great idea!

by Shotslot - Confession: I'm a sucker for photos of lights. But what really makes this shot for me is the self portrait :)

by Photos by Fritz - All I can say is awwww! My heart melted a bit when I saw this. (get it? melted? I'm sorry, my sense of humor sucks.)

by kkaldrich - It's the description of the photo on flickr that really got me: "The green onion plopped on the plate just like that. On Valentine's Day. And then it was yummy." I love that in the midst of preparing food, when something like this happens the first instinct is to run and grab the camera!

by mtbcat - hello repeating circles, nice to meet you!

by rachel_pics - a family of hands! With pretty pink squares as a background. This is such a great family portrait!

by MarthaH214 - shapes inside of shapes! So many pretty colors, too!

by Atlantis_breeze - I love the contrast between the bricks on the left and the bricks on the right - and the star pattern on that one brick on the right.

by Tryphyna2010 - of course! There are so many great shapes IN our camera! What a great idea for a shot.

by melissac79 - beatuiful colors!

by BrianPColt - the shapes and oclors are BOTH awesome in this photo. Plus, that looks like Skeeball and I LOVE me some Skeeball.

by .:SindyHand:. - such beautiful colors. And great composition. It's a lot harder to take this photo than it looks!

by BirdingRVer - once again, I'm loving the contrast between squares and circles.

by thedigitaliris - I love it when people find great photo ops in everyday things like this. And that bright pink is fantastic!

by jinspain2002 - I'm sure at this point you all know why I like this one. A square inside a circle inside a rectangle. yay!

by laura oliver1 - ok, I have to admit, I'm not even sure what this is! It looks kinda like the butt-end of a lens (I'm sure there's a much more proper term for that), but almost like it's TOO simple to be that. Is it? Well, whatever it is, I love the circles, and I love the colors and lines of whatever it's sitting on.

by evelynspikes - love the texture in this one.

If I didn’t pick yours, I’m sorry… but trust me, it was a tough decision!

This was not the entry I planned on writing tonight – which was one about faking an HDR effect in Gimp, since one of you asked for it many moons ago. Long story short – I think my computer really does not want me to write that entry, as this is the third time I’ve attempted it and something has gone wrong and I’ve lost some of my work. It will get posted eventually, though, I promise – right now I’m just a bit annoyed and bitter about the whole thing (again), so I’m walking away from it (again).

So, instead I’m going to write a follow-up to this Gimp Quick Tips entry, and give you MORE quick tips! How exciting!

Read the rest of this post…

This recent photo of John & I breaks a lot of rules, and technically isn't a good photo. But I still like it. f/4.0; 1/13sec; 24mm; ISO 800

Remember, today is the last day of February, so it’s the last day to take photo with Shapes as a theme for the monthly themes group on flickr. Once again, I’m going to wait until next week to post my favorites, to give people time to edit and upload them. The theme for March is Mono (or, black and white, but Mono March is so much more fun to say, isn’t it?).

• Are you into film photography? The folks over at Epic Edits recently launched Feeling Negative – a site devoted to film photography.
• Can’t decide what route to take for you photowalk? flip a coin! Such a simple idea, but I love it. I think I might wait for the weather to warm up before I try it, though, that coin could get pretty cold right now!
• For those of you that use Lightroom, did you know that color sliders are useful even after converting to grayscale? Check this out.
• Here’s a cool trick to make zebra stripes in icicles.
• Do you spend too much time processing your images? Here’s 10 time-saving tips for post-production. I’m guilty of not following a few of these…
• Think every photography accessory is really expensive? Check out these 7 pieces of photo gear for less than $10.
• Ronan Palliser uses an example of a photo of a bride and groom to illustrate that sometimes it’s ok that a photo isn’t “technically correct” and some people might not like it for that. Sometimes, what really matters is just telling a story.
• I have to admit, most of this was greek to me, but if any of you use Aperture 2 and are thinking about upgrading to Aperture 3, it sounds like you might want to read this.

I promised I would eventually got around to posting more links to your blogs, but I don’t seem to have any! Have any of you sent me a link that I never posted? I feel like I’m missing some… once again, all you have to do to get your blog mentioned in this section of my “Weekend Links” post is to leave me a comment and tell me! (btw, priya82 – I got your link but the blog had only one post that was a year old and it didn’t have any photos on it, so I wasn’t sure if that was the right one?)

f/3.5, 1/125 sec, 10mm, ISO 200

You guys are all aware that I’m attempting three photography-related projects this year. Well, less than two full months into the project, I’m already cheating on one of them (my 52 photowalks). I started to feel guilty about this for about 2 second before I fully rationalized my decisions and decided, ya know what? It’s ok to cheat on our photography projects sometimes. I know the arbitrary rules of “a photo a day” or “a photowalk a week” are reasons why some people don’t do these projects at all (and if you’re dedicated and motivated enough to go out and use your camera creatively without a project – I salute you… I’m not one of those self-motivated people), but for those of you that are doing a project like mine, and have perhaps missed a 365 photo, or couldn’t make it on one of your 52 photowalks, I present you with my reason as to why it’s ok to cheat on your personal photography projects.

Read the rest of this post…

The curve of this building is what makes the photo interesting, in my opinion. f/5.0, 1/100sec, 19mm, ISO 200

I realize it’s been a week since I posted here, and I’m back only to post more links. I think I’m going through a bit a creative rut right now.

• I guess it’s appropriate that my first link is Shotslot’s inspiration ideas for the creatively challenged – a post that includes some links to jumpstart your creativity. (earlier this week, he also posted some links about portrait photography).
• Doing some nature photography? Check out this list of 5 great resources for nature photographers.
• Looking to make the jump from automatic to manual? You might find this article interesting, then.
• I know I’m usually promoting free things around here, but if you’re willing to pay a small amount for something – you must check out Michelle’s (from mytwoseasons.com) new photo veils that she has for sale. They work like textures to give your photo a completely different look and feel – check out all the before and after images here and pick up your copy of the whole package!
• Over at Epic Edits, there’s been a lot of talk about using Curves to edit your photos, but this week they’ve also posted an article about using curves when composing your photos.

Here's some clouds from above - taken out of an airplane window! f/8, 1/1000sec, 50mm, ISO 100

Yeah, I really don’t have a reason for not posting this on a Sunday like I usually do. For now I’ll just blame a combination of the snow, the Olympics, and Valentine’s Day.

• Do you think you need a more expensive camera? Maybe you don’t (the timing of this one is great, btw, as I’m planning on writing an entry soon that is really a great follow-up to this)
• When it comes to composition, sometimes it’s all about breaking the rules.
• Here’s a few simple, helpful portrait photography tips.
• This short post is something that I think is really important to understand: Understanding exposure meter settings.
• I often get asked “where do I start after I first download Gimp?”, and if you’re looking for a few very basic things to do, check out this list of quick tips.
• I meant to post this article about how to photograph clouds last week, but it somehow missed the list!

I think I got one or two more links from your blogs to post, but in the interest in getting this posted at a decent hour, I’m going to hold off on them until next week – I have a very efficient filing system, though (I leave the emails from the comment system in my inbox as unread – I’m so high-tech and organized, no?), so I won’t lose them. Well, hopefully.

This photo doesn't have anything to do with this entry, it's just what I was editing with taking screenshots. f/4.0; 1/640sec; 70mm; ISO 200

I love Gimp – I think you might have all realized that by now. But there’s one thing Gimp can’t do all on its own. And that’s editing RAW files. The good news is, though, that there are other options. The first option is that your camera probably came with some software that allows you to manipulate RAW files. I’m guessing mine did, because I know it came with software, but I’ve never installed it. That’s because your second option is to use some sort of free software.

There is, of course, a third option, and that is to pay for software, and that opens up a lot more doors – and I’m assuming gives you better products, too – but part of the idea behind this website was to show you cheap/free ways to develop your photography habit (get it? Develop? I crack myself up).

So, the two free programs I hear about most often are RawTherapee and UFRaw. I had plans to use both of these products and give you a comparison and tell you why I liked one of them more than the other, but to be honest, I still haven’t tried RawTherapee, and I find myself wanted to discuss the adjustments I make to my Raw files, so I’m going to forge ahead and just tell you how I use UFRaw. I’m guessing that the options I use in UFRaw are also available in RawTherapee, so if you’d like to try that, feel free! But for the sake of this entry, I’m only going to talk about UFRaw.

Read the rest of this post…

January’s theme for the iffles.com Monthly Themes group on flickr was Textures and there were TONS of great submissions. I spent this past weekend looking through them all and wanted to take some time to share my favorites. This was SO HARD for me to do. I had to narrow down the list twice because I had way too many the first time. There were some amazing photos in the group – if yours didn’t make the list this time, keep posting – February’s theme is Shapes!

by Eva und Michael. What bright colors!

by team.breeze. Oooh, that red!

by ShellyS. I don't know what this is, but I really want to wrap myself up in it!

by evelynspikes. So many textures in one photo - the peeling paint, the bricks, the stones... yum!

by coraline97. If this is not the definition of texture, I don't know what is. I'd love to see an experiment using this as a texture on a photo

by Jon Game. The detail, the shallow DOF, and the amazing colors. Just fantastic.

by laura oliver1. Not only do I love the texture and DOF, it was really nice to see some green in with all the other winter photos :)

by jinspain2002. Ouch! :)

by Eva und Michael. I love that it's black and white and I love the grain in it

by hanamik. The texture on the ground is a great contrast to the cute shoes!

by mtbcat. I especially like how the lock itself looks brand new against the old, textured chain.

by mtbcat. The pop of yellow against that texture? Perfection.

by summer_daze. This texture is formed by sap leaking from the leg of their coffee table. How freakin' cool is that?

by Sarire. Not only do I love the texture, but look at the pops of blue and green there on the right! Nifty!

by Stephanie.Grace. This is one of my favorite colors at the moment, so I had to choose it!

by jafael. I love how the entire frame is filled with ouchies!

by thedigitaliris. Love the texture of the wood and screws and paint

by .:SindyHand:. I love everything about this photo - the composition, the DOF, the warm tones... and of course the texture!

by laura oliver1. This one took my breath away.

by dpksh. The peeling trees are just fantastic - especially against the pure white snow behind them.

by Tokyo Rhino. Do you know what that is in the foreground? It's the snout of a mom of that baby rhino. Awesome.

by Inspirophoto. Love the colors.

by BirdingRVer. Another texture that makes me say Ouch!

by GenBug. I'm a sucker for raindrops, and these are shaped so perfectly.

by bouncyczech. I love that this is something so recognizable, but not how we usually look at it.

by Rick Zawodny. So much texture!

by laura oliver1. Such great timing with the raindrops and the ripples make a great texture.

by jinspain2002. I have to admit, this photo didn't scream texture to me, but it was so incredibly beautiful I had to include it anyway.

by Grumpy Cake King. Not quite sure what it is, but I definitely love it.

by kkaldrich. This one actually made me chuckle when I first saw it :)

by shirley319. Beautiful.

by shannon.waller. It's like a tiny little dish of texture!

by melissac79. A beautiful (and cold!) texture.

Don’t forget – February’s theme is Shapes! So keep posting to the group!

This is about it as far as family portraits go in our house. He looks thrilled to be with me, doesn't he?

I’ve gone through the iffles.com monthly themes group on flickr and have picked out my favorites from January (which was hard – there were so many good ones!), and those should be posted tomorrow. February’s theme is shapes, interpret that however you like and submit them to the pool!

• Brian Cooney recently got a chance to photograph his first basketball game – his little brother’s. He was nice enough to write about his lessons learned.
• Have you ever wondered how three bananas can help improve your wildlife photography skills? Well. Wonder no more.
• I love bold colors, but they’re sometimes hard to capture in photography. Here are some tips to help you do just that.
• Tara Whitney is doing her own persnal project this year – trying to capture at least one family portrait each month, for one year.
• I’m sure you’ve heard how every time you open and resave a jpg file, you lose a bit of quality. To see that in action, check these out.
• Take a look at Epic Edit’s Introduction to Curves.

And now for more of YOUR links. I’m always willing to look at your photography-related blog – all you have to do is tell me in comment that you want me to, and I’ll link to it in the next Weekend Links entry!

• Josiah is also sharing his 365 photos on his blog (appropriately called A Photo a Day). My favorite of his recent photos is this one of a snowy tree-lined road. I like that he also talks about how he edited the photo.
• bumblebeezack recently started a photoblog with some great photos on it. My favorite appears to be of the underside of some bridges – impressive!
• Noreen has a photoblog, too! She’s going to try to complete all the DPS assignments this year, so be sure to follow her blog to see her submissions. In the mean time, check out 3 different angles of a famous Seattle landmark
• Ashlie is posting a photo a day (not necessarily one she took herself, but just anything that inspires her) and writing 1000 words to go along with it, which I think is a really cool idea. Check out the first post.