Well hello, long time no see... things around here have been a little stressed lately but I am hoping to get things back on track soon. I am also looking for a little help with the challenge page.
Anyways I wanted to talk a little about a couple of pieces of equipment that I have been using lately. it is not so much the brand but what they are doing that matters.

The first thing I want to talk about is a monitor calibration unit. As no 2 montors are the same it is tough to see pictures the same across the board and to know what they will look like once they are printed. Most montiors are pre programmed to have the screen super bright and sometimes to be bias one direction or the other on the color temp. My monitor, a Samsung 23 inch was not only extremely bright but also on the cooler side of things. Ever wonder why when you Auto correct an image it seems a little to bright so you tone it down a little and while your thinking the image is great, expecting that ever awesome attaboy, it never comes... maybe because everyone else is seeing something totally different than you are.
I purchased a Spyder pro4 installed it and wow, on brightness alone I can see several mistakes on images across the years. I have been at this for several years now and while I have known about the devices I always put it off or figured I could save some money buy doing it by eye... Boy was I wrong!
If you are a serious or pro photographer not using a calibration device, get one! If you print your photos or have them up for sale, get a calibration devise! It will change how you do things.

The second thing I have been using is a Wacom Intuos 5 Touch medium sized tablet. First off, this is not for everyone, if you spend most of your time in auto correct mode, this is not for you. That said, if you like precise adjustments using brushes in LR4 or Photoshop, drop the mouse and pick up the pen, the ability to be exact in your editing is what the tablet is all about. Getting used to a tablet is another issue, I know, but with practice it will open up worlds you were never able to get to with your old mouse. unplug, turn off or what ever you have to do but use that tablet.

I am not going to highlight any one photographer with this blog, we have so many great photographers at all skill levels here that it is a shame to pick just one after having not posted in so long. What i would like to see is more involvement and participation from all of you. Have an idea? lets hear it, shooting something spectacular? lets hear about it, direct us to where we can see it. I have said before that the intent of the page is to get people out and shooting, learning, and sharing. So lets do just that get out there and shoot.