Michael A. Schwarz Digital Photography Training and Consulting:: Atlanta Digital Photography Classes and Workshops

Welcome to the digital photography resource site of Atlanta photographer Michael A. Schwarz. Michael is a commercial and editorial photographer, leads workshops and does consulting and training designed to simplify the process of digital photography. The topics and resource pages menus will lead you to tips, tutorials, reference materials and workshops.

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May Newsletter

Hi There!
There were some fascinating things happening in the photo world last month….
Last call for the hands-on workshop that Bill Durrence and I are doing at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens June 1 & 2. Please contact me ASAP to reserve a spot. http://michaeltraining.com/workshops/abg2013/
Normally the Gardens is a great place to be, but for the next few months it should be really special with a fascinating topiary sculpture exhibit called Imaginary Worlds. http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/events-classes/events/imaginary-worlds

Photoshelter has updated their selection of Photography Guides

http://www.photoshelter.com/mkt/research/

The story behind Curtis Compton’s great Masters Photo.

http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/golf/story-behind-story/nXMfg/

A Copyright Primer from Popular Photography Magazine.

http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2013/04/how-to-registering-copyrights-your-photography

John Tlumacki’s Boston Marathon photo on the cover of Sorts Illustrated

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/211010/globes-tlumacki-i-am-dealing-with-trauma-trying-to-keep-busy-following-boston-tragedy/

How AP verified a photo of the Boston Marathon shooting suspect.

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/211087/how-the-ap-verified-photo-of-boston-bombing-suspect-leaving-scene/#.UXVAGYzNLVc.twitter

Kentucky Derby banning SLRs.

http://petapixel.com/2013/04/23/kentucky-derby-bans-all-interchangeable-lens-cameras-for-security-purposes/

Beyonce banning photographers. She is no longer welcome at my house.

http://petapixel.com/2013/04/22/after-unflattering-viral-photos-beyonce-now-banning-pro-photographers/

Become an Actuary not a Photographer. WSJ Best Jobs.

http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2013/04/22/dust-off-your-math-skills-actuary-is-best-job-of-2013/

Great story on an unknown photographer

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/a-life-sold-on-photography/?smid=fb-share

Fun but sad. Photo Stealers Tumblr.

http://stopstealingphotos.tumblr.com

One of the more bizarre stories you will see about a stolen laptop.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2013/01/09/melanie_willhide_to_adrian_rodriguez_with_love_photos.html

Fan of the TV show MASH ? Did you know that actor Allan Arbus was married to the photographer Diane Arbus?

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/24/arts/television/allan-arbus-mash-actor-dies-at-95.html?_r=4&

No matter how bad you think you are as a photographer, I bet you’re not this bad.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/nataliem15/14-engagement-photos-that-will-make-you-happy-you-a0ne

Wondering about Nikon lens compatibility? Here’s a good explanation.

http://support.nikonusa.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/14439/~/can-i-use-my-lens-from-my-old-camera-on-a-new-digital-slr%3F

Pricing and negotiating event May 16 in Atlanta.

http://asmp.org/education/event/info?id=511#.UYKQmZV3YZ5

The Amazing story of Vivien Maier

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/02/18/found-at-auction-the-unseen-photographs-of-a-legend-that-never-was/

Excellent Time Lapse tutorial from Vincent Laforet

http://blog.vincentlaforet.com/2013/04/27/time-lapse-intro-part-i/

ThinkTank Photo has free shipping during the month of May on their excellent line of bags..

http://www.thinktankphoto.com/categories/rolling-camera-bags/airport-series.aspx?code=WS-119

Sabastiao Salgado. Amazing.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/salgado-genesis/

And finally….. 50 Reasons Not to Date a Photographer

http://notastarvingartist.com/post/12766897643/50-reasons-not-to-date-a-photographer

May 06, 2013 | Categories: Business, Inspiration | Leave A Comment »

April Newsletter

There’s lots of news and interesting things happening in the photo world this month. The Two-day workshop that Bill Durrence and I are doing at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens is filling up fast. You can get more information and the registration form here: http://michaeltraining.com/workshops/abg2013/

Interesting video from Zacuto on the quality of light. https://vimeo.com/57890592

Your inner geek will enjoy this article on hard drive failures.
http://blog.lsi.com/what-is-false-disk-failure-and-why-is-it-a-problem/

Google’s purchase of Nik Software has led to some great deals. http://connect.dpreview.com/post/4452357456/google-nik-software-plugins

Photographer gets stolen camera back.
http://www.petapixel.com/2013/03/26/how-i-busted-a-thief-who-tried-to-sell-my-camera-on-craigslist/#more-104830

Free ASMP/Photoshelter Guide to copyright.
http://asmp.org/free/guide-crce

Changing face of photography.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/media/30photogs.html?pagewanted=all%3Fsrc%3Dtp&smid=fb-share&_r=0

Adobe Lightroom Updates.
http://www.adobe.com/downloads/?promoid=JZEFW

Nikon Firmware updates
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/04/02/nikon-updates-firmware-for-D600-D800-d4-d3s-d3x-d3-d7000-d3200

Great profile on photographer Stacy Pearsall.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/us/from-front-lines-women-offer-evidence-on-ability-in-combat.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0

My buddy Reed Hoffmann put together this table of the pixel size (in microns) of some Nikon cameras.

7.3 – D4

5.9 – D600 (same size as used in D3X)

4.88 – D800

4.78 – D7000

4.7 – D5100

3.9 – D7100

3.9 – D5200

Very interesting interview with Ansel Adams’ son Michael.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E0zRwY4pzQ&buffer_share=7cf68&utm_source=buffer

A Photographer’s Calling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUTGiExMRA8&feature=player_embedded

Adobe will be rolling out Lightroom 5soon. This video talks about some of the new features.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGBWzhIVfxM

Nikon’s D7100 is hitting the stores. I have one in hand and have been really surprised by the high image quality. Here’s another photographer’s review.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIh4jHnEJQ8

Happy shooting,

Michael A. Schwarz

Apr 16, 2013 | Categories: Lighting | Leave A Comment »

March News

Hi Folks,

This is the March newsletter from Michael A. Schwarz Photography. Happy spring! I hope you guys have lots of great shooting plans for the spring and summer.

Some interesting tidbits from the web last month.

The New York Times had a fascinating story about the search for the truth about a photo. Sometimes the answer isn’t what you expect. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/business/media/in-omaha-manhole-fire-photo-logging-off-in-search-of-some-clues.html?ref=business&_r=1&

Ever wonder what’s going on inside your DSLR? Check out this super slo-mo of a D4 Shutter. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PLxUuTbiU3E#!

Nikon has an intriquing tutorial on focus stacking.http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Article/h91fgucv/techniques-flower-power.html

Ben Long as an interesting tutorial on an iPad workflow over at Creative Pro. http://www.creativepro.com/article/ipad-photo-workflow

Lastly, Nikon has built out the video section of their website. http://www.nikonusa.com/cinema/

Speaking of video, I recently finished my first wedding film and you can see it here… https://vimeo.com/62115256 . It was shot with Nikon D4 and D800, plus a little GoPro (balcony of church) and Sony Videocam (side shot during ceremony).

On the workshop front, I’m excited to announce that Bill Durrence and I have scheduled another workshop at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens June 1 and 2. www.michaeltraining.com/abg2013. This workshop will be a little less technical than previous workshops and will focus more on how to find a good subject and translate that into a good photo. Attendance will be limited, hope to see you there.

And finally, the Mentor Trek that I’ll be leading with David Tejada on the California coast April 5-7, has opened up a few spots and also offered a $50 discount if you use the coupon code NLE50. This is my first Mentor Trek and it should be really fun. http://www.mentorseries.com/treks/2013/california-coast-2013

Happy Shooting,
Michael

Mar 20, 2013 | Categories: Gear, Workflow and Processing | Leave A Comment »

February News

Upcoming workshops:

Excited to announce that Bill Durrence and I will host a two-day, hands-on workshop at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, June 1 & 2. More information will be available in a month or so.

Only one more spot available for the April Photo Trek that David Tejada and I are leading on the Northern California Coast. https://www.jettdirect.com/MentorSeries/Secure/StoreItem.aspx?ITEMS=CATALOG&CAT=260&TP=613&ID=18434

Nikon School
March 16-17, Boca Raton, Nikon School

March 23-24, Baltimore, Nikon School

April 27-28, Austin, Nikon School

May 3-4, Kansas City, Nikon School

D800 settings now available.

I’ve had lots of requests for recommendations on D800 camera settings and they are now available on my training site at:http://michaeltraining.com/camera-settings/nikon-d800-camera-settings/

Remember these settings are simply the ones I use and not recommended for everyone.

Interested in Timelapse photography? Here’s a great example by Christopher Malin.
http://nikonrumors.com/2012/12/19/island-in-the-sky-christoph-malin-talks-about-his-time-lapse-documentary-of-the-night-sky-near-the-island-of-la-palma.aspx/

Kessler Crane has a useful iPhone App to help you create stunning timelapses.

Checkout this great story on photographer Stephen Wilkes. http://blog.xritephoto.com/?p=8188

You’ve heard of tele-converters, ever wonder why there was no wide-angle converter? Me neither, but here’s one that looks interesting, the Metabones wide angle adapter. http://nofilmschool.com/2013/01/metabones-speed-booster-lenses/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+nofilmschool+%28NoFilmSchool%29

My friend Preston Mack has a tutorial on sending photos to an iPad. http://thephotobrigade.com/2013/01/wirelessly-transmitting-nikon-files-to-an-ipad-by-preston-mack/

Wonderful story on photographer Jay Maisel https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3U7bnIYcvRM#!

One of my favorite photographers and all around nice guy Robert Seale had a cool shoot recently. http://www.robertsealeblog.com/portrait-shoot-with-former-pow-col-bud-day/

Thinking about buying a new lens? Now may be the time. Both Canon and Nikon are rolling out big rebates.

Nikon: http://www.adorama.com/results/nikonlenspromo?emailprice=t&j=Email021813PDay&KBID=66780

Canon: http://www.adorama.com/results/CanonLensSpeedlite?emailprice=t&j=Email021813PDay&KBID=66780

Feb 19, 2013 | Categories: Camera Function, Gear, Inspiration, Lighting | Leave A Comment »

In Case You Missed It V9.0

Our favorite links from the photo community this week; September 22nd edition.

Fun BTS video from Gary Green of the Orlando Sentinel.

Cool tutorial on photographing lightning by Jim Reed.

Absolutely love this base jumping video.

Interesting piece on photographing Horsetail Falls at Yosemite. It’s an old upload, but thanks to John Omvik for the tip.

The viral evolutionof Carli Davidson’s “Shake” gallery.

Scandal rocks the wildlife photography world. (tip from Colby Brown)

Rolling Stone’s first photographer, Baron Wolman. (Tip from Brad Mangin)

Scott London’s excellent Burning Man photos (tip from Ben Lazar).

Nikon’s announces a new line of Interchangeable Lens Compact Cameras.

Joao Silva returns to work.

Stunning work for Doctors Without Borders from Photographers Marcus Bleasdale, Ron Haviv, Franco Pagetti, Jessica Dimmock, Stephanie Sinclair, Jon Stanmeyer and Antonin Kratochvil.

Enjoy,

-Michael

Michael A. Schwarz Photography

Michael A. Schwarz Wedding Photojournalism

Michael A. Schwarz Digital Photography Training