Finish the Sentence...with Taz Tally

[start up the fitness-inspired game show music]
"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are finished by.... Taz Tally.

Taz, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is
My polarizing filter. I capture many landscapes and using my polarizing filter allows me precise control over how reflections, like sunlight off of water, and refracted light, like a scattering of light in the sky appears in my images.

I’ve learned the most from..
Eddie Tapp's creativity seminar on how he creates and manipulates his backgrounds and borders … good stuff!
I also love and learned a lot from participating in the portfolio reviews. I enjoy seeing, and learning from the work of others. I'm always astounded at the vast amount of creativity we humans have!

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
Travel the coastline of Antarctica via kayak because I'm so eager to capture the stark, compelling, grand landscapes created by the interaction of the vast glacial ice sheets and the wild southern oceans.

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
My most used Photoshop plug-in is definitely Genuine Fractals, which I frequently use to increase the dimensional resolution of my files so that I can print at larger output dimensions.

I love the fact that Photoshop
… provides me with so many nondestructive editing and adjustment tools, such as adjustment layers and smart filters.

I hate the fact that Photoshop
Now has separate keyboard shortcuts for accessing individual channels in the channels panel and the individual channels in the various adjustment tools such as Curves and Levels. They used to be consistent GRRRRRRR!

If I could turn back the clock 10 years
I'm really not sure what I would want to change

In 10 years
• I hope to have visited and photographed the Tibetan plateau and the Himalaya Mountains, Africa, and Antarctica
• I hope to have ridden my bicycle from the northern edge of Alaska at the shore with the Bering Sea to the southern tip of Terra Del Fuego at the edge of the Southern Ocean.
• I hope to have skied across and photographed the Harding Icefield
• I hoped to have kayaked the circumference of Prince William Sound and the volcanic island of Augustine
• I hoped to have skied and photographed the bottomless powder slopes of the Caribou, Bugaboo, and Monashee mountain ranges in British Columbia, and the High Slopes of the Chugach Range in Alaska

If I could give one piece of advice it would be
Do What You Love, What Feeds Your Soul, What Makes You Go WOW And AHHH!

Your readers can find out more about me
at www.taztallyphotography.com

Ladies and Gentlemen, give it up for Taz Tally!!!

Dr. Taz Tally is an avid outdoorsman and professional wilderness photographer in Homer, Alaska when he’s not touring the “Lower 48” giving his renowned Photoshop presentations as President of Taz Tally Seminars. He has authored numerous books and online training courses about Photoshop, digital photography and related digital imaging topics, and his latest book “50 Hikes in Alaska's Kenai Peninsula”. Taz's photo art was featured in a one-man gallery show, in Phoenix, Arizona, and regularly displays his photography at creative events throughout Alaska. A nature photographer, Taz draws on his background as a Ph.D. geologist and former UNC professor. A devoted athlete too, Taz laughs when folks discover he is also a former Mr. North Carolina and Mr. USA contestant. As part of his photography and publishing oriented lifestyle Taz routinely heads outdoors with his dog Zip, hiking, kayaking, roller-blading, Nordic skiing, and scuba diving. Zip and Taz have traveled the country, visiting every national park and every state in the union.

Finish the Sentence...with Kevin Ames

[start up the very familiar game show music]
"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are finished by.... Kevin Ames.

Kevin, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is
my handheld incident light meter (Sekonic L-758dr)

I’ve learned the most from..
Dean Collins and from looking at pictures and listening to other photographers discuss their work.

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
Mt. Kilimanjaro because one of my goals it to hike to the top.

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
re Color FXPro 3, Sharpener, Silver EfX, Exposure 2 PhotoFrame 4 and Focal Point. Come on I really have more than one "fave." My most used really depends on the project!

I love the fact that Photoshop
continues to add must have features with every release

I hate the fact that Photoshop
continues to add must have features with every release that I absolutely must learn how to use! Can you say "3-D?"

If I could turn back the clock 10 years
I'd invest all my money in Apple and McDonald's,

In 10 years
Photoshop's standard file will be a 32-bit 3D hologram.

If I could give one piece of advice it would be
Keep shooting, look at what you shoot--often and learn to see what you look at.

Your readers can find out more about me
amesphoto.com and kevinames.com

Ladies & Gentlemen Boys & Girls, let's hear it for Kevin Ames!
[music fades, much applause and dancing in the aisles]
Kevin Ames started his current business, Ames Photographic Illustration, Inc., in 1983. Photography has taken Kevin on assignments across the U.S. and Europe working for clients ranging from AT&T, Days Inns, SAS Hotels and Westin Hotels, to Carter’s Atlanta, Honda Power Equipment, La-Z-Boy Furniture and Price Waterhouse Coopers. His work has appeared in Time, The Wall Street Journal and he is a contributing photographer for Jezebel and Atlanta Sports and Fitness magazines.
He entered the digital revolution early in 1993. By the fall of 1994 his studio offered hybrid digital services—shooting film, scanning, retouching, compositing and CMYK conversions. He began speaking on digital photography and editing at Professional Photograhers of America events in 1996 and today speaks at several events for PPA, ASMP, APA and NAPP including Photoshop World where he is one of their Dream Team Instructors. He writes the Digital Photographer’s Notebook for Photoshop User magazine and has authored four books on digital photography and Photoshop including both “Photoshop CS and Photoshop CS2 The Art of Photographing Women, Digital SLR Photography with Photoshop CS2 for Dummies and his latest book The Digital Photographer’s Notebook A Pro’s guide to Photoshop CS3, Lightroom and Bridge. He has authored training discs for Software Cinema starting with Photoshop 7.

Finish the Sentence...with Corey Barker

[start up the movie-themed game show music]
"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are finished by.... Corey Barker.

Corey, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is
Hmmm...Not really a photographer so I would have to say that my camera strap is my favorite accessory. Why? because its keeps the camera out of my way without having to put it down. ;-)

I’ve learned the most from..
Well I have learned from so many but I have learned a great deal from Bert Monroy, our very own Felix Nelson, and of course having all of the NAPP guys around is never a bad thing to have on hand..

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
Australia because it just fascinates me as a country It seems as though there is so much to see and the landscape is just beautiful. Would also love to see Dubai.

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
Well I am not much of a plug in user but I will say that the OnOne set of filters is most impressive and seems to be the most useful.

I love the fact that Photoshop
That is really has no limits. You can explore and explore and there is always something new to be discovered. It is used by so many people for so many different reasons. It is quite simply the Swiss Army Knife of imaging apps.

I hate the fact that Photoshop
Doesn't think as fast as I do.

If I could turn back the clock 10 years
I would have gotten more involved with 3D animation. I am slowly creeping into it now but if had started way back then who knows.

In 10 years
I hope to still have this enthusiastic sense of exploration I have today. I have always been a big kid and a part of me hopes that never dies.

If I could give one piece of advice it would be
Learn to accept criticism. As a creative person it comes with the territory. It will only make you a stronger and better artist.

Your readers can find out more about me
PlanetPhotoshop.com
KelbyTraining.com
PhotoshopUser.com
LayersTV.com

Ladies, Gentlemen, let's hear it for Corey Barker!
[music fades, cheering ensues, movie starts playing]
Corey Barker is a content developer for the Kelby Media Group. He provides creative content for the National Association of Photoshop Professionals and teaches at major Photoshop events like Photoshop World. He has a regular column in Photoshop User magazine and Layers Magazine and is co-host of the highly rated podcast: Layers TV with RC Concepcion. Corey is also Executive Producer of the highly popular tutorial/blog site PlanetPhotoshop.com. Corey is an award winning illustrator and designer with over 14 years of industry experience and is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop.

Technique of the...every so often

Jef posted this comment about my unlock the Background layer tip:

"Hi Dave...This was a really useful tip. Makes it much easier for simple quick edits.
What I'd really like though, is to change the default way in which Photoshop opens the picture. Instead of having a locked background layer, I want it to automatically duplicate the background keeping the bottom layer as a normal locked background and the top layer and an unlocked duplicate.

Any suggestions for how to accomplish this one?"

It's actually pretty simple (thankfully)

First, start with a document open, then create and record an Action that only has one step: duplicate layer. Stop recording.

Second, go to File>Scripts>Script Events Manager.

Check the box: "Enable Events to Run Scripts/Actions"

From the Photoshop Event menu, choose Open Document

Click the Action radio button and choose the action you recorded (duplicate layer), from the Set where you saved it

Click the Add button

Click Done and from now on, every time you open a document you will get a duplcated copy above the Background.

If you ever want to stop this from happening, return to the Script Events Manager and remove the event or uncheck the Enable box at the top of the dialog.

Needless to say, this is just one of many things you can do with Script Events Manager.

TIP: Unlock the Background layer

Learned a new tip in Boston at Photoshop World....
To unlock the Background layer in Photoshop CS4 you can simply drag the lock icon to the trash. That's a quicker way than the method many people use (double-clicking on the Background layer and renaming it)

Finish the Sentence...with Jack Reznicki

[start up the copyright-protected game show music]
"It's time once again to ask a well-known photographer, instructor or otherwise interesting person the same 10 questions and ask them to Finish the Sentence! This week the sentences are finished by.... Jack Reznicki.

Jack, please Finish the Sentence..."

My favorite photography accessory (lights, modifier, bag, tripod) is
A smile. Gets people to do all sorts of things. ;-) Other than that, my EOS 1Ds MII.

I’ve learned the most from..
my mistakes.

If I could go anywhere in the world it would be_____ because….
“anywhere in the world” because I love to travel to new places. China for the 4th time is also appealing.

My most-used Photoshop add-on, plugin, action set (etc) is
My new Intous 4 tablet. Actually improves my workflow.

I love the fact that Photoshop
can get the photos to look like I imagine them to look, and beyond.

I hate the fact that Photoshop
is a time machine that can only transport me into the future. I sit down and it’s hours into the future. Why can’t they program it to take me back in time?

If I could turn back the clock 10 years
I’d take better care of myself.

In 10 years
I hope to be able to say I took better care of myself.

If I could give one piece of advice it would be
Register your work at the Copyright office. As creative people, it’s image insurance, just like camera insurance. Without it, you can find out too late that your copyright is fairly worthless.

Your readers can find out more about me
www.reznicki.com

Ladies, Gentlemen, let's hear it for Jack Reznicki!
[music fades, cheering ensues]
Jack Reznicki is a commercial people and children photographer based in New York City. His creative problem solving has helped promote products and services for many companies such as Tylenol, The Wall Street Journal, Hyatt, Toys "R" Us, Kodak, Canon, Epson, Reader's Digest, Crest, AT&T, Playtex, and several Time magazine covers. Additionally, he is a popular internationally respected lecturer, the author of several books on commercial photography, and continues to write for several photography magazines. Jack is a former President of Professional Photographers of America (PPA). He was appointed a guest professor at the Shandong University of Art and Design in Jinan, and is also a Mo-Tse Grand Master Photographer in China.