Kubota Bloghttp://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/From the World Wide Action Hero Headquartersen-US2010-09-03T12:31:41ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.5 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Tamara Lackey reveals allhttp://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/30/tamara-lackey-reveals-all-1.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-30T17:28:57ZIn her free webinar that we are hosting on 8/31. We are very excited to have recently partnered with Tamara to produce her Style Guide, which is a printed book/DVD combo that contains numerous examples of her beautiful and imitable children and family portraits. The book shows before and after images as well as the step by step techniques she used to achieve those looks using Kubota Image Tools Dashboard Actions. The DVD has a detailed movie of her process for each image. It doesn't get much easier than this! (unless you can convince Tamara to come beautify your images for you personally :-) The Style Guide even comes with a unique set of Tamara/Kubota actions that use our existing actions and automatically tweak them the way she likes for her looks. (Kubota Dashboard Actions are required to be installed in order to use her variants, although a free 30 day demo is included)

This webinar will give you insights into those techniques she used and you'll see, just like in her Style Guide, exactly how she modifies our Actions to get precisely the look she's going for. We've loved working with Tamara as she's wonderfully talented and an excellent teacher as well. Come she what she's all about. Aug 31st 10:00 AM PDT Register here: http://ow.ly/2ru0w ]]>Underwater images from Mauihttp://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/29/underwater-images-from-maui.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-29T04:56:02ZThis is my first time out with new underwater housing for my D300s. I love it, but have lots to learn still about underwater photography! It's a whole new world compared to the on-land stuff I'm used to. Learning to focus quickly and accurately is challenging - especially while controlling your buoyancy so you float level and calmly. Sea critters don't sit still very long either, so you don't have much time. I used an off-camera flash, which is pretty essential most of the time - and also challenging to get just right. I'm learning a lot and planning on getting better!

View my mini album here: http://bit.ly/9jLEi6 ]]>Vote on your favorite alphabet photo project!http://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/24/vote-on-your-favorite-alphabet-photo-project.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-24T02:38:40ZThese photographers all did this fun project to help inspire themselves. It had nothing to do with the $1000 in prizes! Check them out and vote on your favorite creative interpretation of the alphabet. The gallery is hosted on SmugMug and all you have to do is click the "Thumbs Up" icon when viewing your favorite. Good luck to all, and to all a good luck. Judging ends 9/1/10.

]]>NEW Lightroom Presets available now: Vintage Delish!http://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/23/new-lightroom-presets-available-now-vintage-delish.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-23T20:48:18ZI'm having a blast with these. Getting rave reviews, hope u like them too :-) http://bit.ly/9kTgo1 ]]>The first contest winner from Skips Summer Schoolhttp://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/23/the-first-contest-winner-from-skips-summer-school.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-23T19:34:15Z

One of the contests I posed to the attendees at Skips School earlier this month was to write a 125 word Mini-Saga and accompany it with just one image. The challenge is to write something a bit evocative, mysterious maybe, and then find or create an image that helps to support the story - either quite literally, or interpretively. Almost anything goes, but the purpose is to get us thinking outside the box and about illustrating ideas and feelings with our photos.

I posed 3 contests to the attendees - Capture the letters of the alphabet, create a Laying Down Game photo, and this Mini-Saga. Well, each contest was for over $1000 in prizes from vendors like Asukabook, Animoto, Smugmug, Tamrac, Bay Photo Lab, X-rite, Sticky Filters, Triple Scoop Music, and more. Awesome stuff, and guess what? Out of 300+ attendees to the program, only one person took the time to do the Mini-Saga contest - so he wins! Congratulations to Stephen Eisenbraun for his story and image of the tennis player. Kudus to you Stephen for the cool image and words, but also for taking the initiative and just doing it. Not one person entered the laying down game contest - so sadly I can't give away another $1000 for that. We did have entries for the Alphabet contest, and I'll be posting those online in a day or two for open judging by YOU and another $1000 worth of goodies to give away!

Below is a sample story I wrote, to get things started, and the image I picked to go with it.

"The show ended very quickly, as if in an instant, yet it seemed to go on forever. So many stories, memories, feelings. It was like a flood of images - flash, flash, flashing.
Before my eyes could open, I sensed the tickle of a feather on my hand. A long white feather leading to an eloquently carved writing instrument, made of solid gold, perhaps. It was much lighter than I would have guessed - weightless even.
Under the nib was a single, rectangular, parchment - the size of an old book. It sat on an aged stone table. The parchment was blank other than the hand-written number 1 in the middle, followed by a period, followed by a short line, the length of a finger. It seemed it was a test and there was only one answer."

This is Stephen's winning story and image:

"Anticipate, scan, steadfast, confident, poised, ready, firm, agile, respond, swift, pounce, shift, jump, lob, volley, backhand, forehand, turn, twist, run, ground stroke, rally, overhead, execute, aim, direction,speed, height, toward, away, side, drop shot, top spin, service line, base line, doubles line, out, in, swing, angle, center, split, partner, opponent, balance, follow through…"

What was interesting to me is that when I asked the audience who was going to enter one of these contests, almost everyone raised their hands! Yet, for whatever reasons, only a handful actually made it happen, even when they had $1000 to gain from just entering. What is it that keeps us from taking action on things we know we want to do, and could be profitable to us? Are we so busy that we just don't have time? Do we think that we couldn't possibly be successful, even if we tried, so we give up? Do we see "SQUIRREL!" everywhere and get distracted? What else are we missing out on by simply not taking action. I admit I know I miss a lot, but I constantly try to remind myself to "Make it happen."

]]>Expanding my photographic horizonshttp://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/21/expanding-my-photographic-horizons.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-21T22:45:58ZCool Things I've Discovered Journal Entries Travel hawaii maui travel underwater photographyTo the underwater world. I was thinking the other day how cool it would be to be able to really learn to become proficient in ALL genres of photography. I feel confident in portraiture, weddings, and commercial work - but there are other areas that I really haven't taken the time to explore. Why would a portrait photographer want to learn about underwater photography? Why not! I think that when we challenge ourselves to learn something outside our comfort zone, we inevitably learn something that we can apply to our everyday work. Besides that, I love scuba diving so it's seems a natural thing to lug my camera along too. And lug it will be. I just got an Ikelite underwater housing for my Nikon D300s and it's an amazing piece of work. A big, bulky, massive piece of work! Good thing it will be weightless in the water :-)

I was fortunate to find a guy in Maui, where I'm headed next week, who is a wonderful underwater photographer and instructor/guide. Mike Roberts helped me to pick out the right housing, flash, and accessories and we scheduled a private workshop while I'm there. I'm really excited to be able to take a class myself for a change! Mike has been really great helping me plan for the trip and I'll of course post some updates after we have our dive/photo class, but I'm confident it's going to be a great experience. You can see some of his wonderful work here. It's beautifully vivid, artfully lit and composed, and just has that "Hawaiian" feeling to them. Mike also has a website for his workshop business here.

Where else could you expand your photographic horizons? Skydiving anyone??

This is the Ikelite housing I got for my D300s. Mike is also an Ikelite dealer, so you can order stuff from him and it costs the same as most online retailers, but you get personal advice and service with it.

]]>If you were in Tennessee at my workshop.http://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/17/if-you-were-in-tennessee-at-my-workshop.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-17T22:37:59ZThen you know we covered a lot of ground! We talked about finding and keeping inspiration, techniques for capturing images that sell, processing those images quickly and efficiently with Lightroom, enhancing them with Photoshop, and making the final presentation. We also talked about marketing and branding and finding your true voice as a photographic artist. We covered sales and my S.E.T.S.A.S.S.Y. system for selling without selling. We also had more dancing due to phone calls than any program I can remember in a long time!

Thanks for a great time and the hospitality. I really appreciate it and hope you'll all stay in touch. There was a great little side story during the program. Earlier in the day we talked about doing out and asking for the work you want. I also recommended a great restaurant in the area that I had dined at the night before (Wild Ginger). One of the attendees, who is specializing in food photography decided to go there on our lunch break and ended up showing the manager her iPad portfolio of food photography. He was so impressed he offered to have her shoot their next menu photos! Way to make things happen :-)

To download the program notes, click here. Don't forget, you'll need the password I gave you during the program to download and open the file. You can also download my folder templates, with the lightroom catalog template in it here as well.

]]>I just got this cool new Tamrac backpackhttp://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/13/i-just-got-this-cool-new-tamrac-backpack.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-13T20:04:41ZAnd you could win one too! The Evolution 8 is the newest travel photo backpack from Tamrac, who's products I just love. What I like about this pack in particular is the thought that went in to it as a complete system for traveling photographers. The shoulder straps are convertible from traditional style to criss-cross style so that it is slung across one shoulder. This enables you to swing the pack in front of you quickly, without removing the pack, and grab a camera or lens from the perfectly placed side access zipper door. It's a very quick way to keep your gear protected, but quickly accessible.

I am also excited about the waistbelt! Many people underestimate the value of a waistbelt to really relieve stress on your shoulders. You definitely notice the difference if you spend any amount of time actually traveling with your backpack. Placing part or most of the weight on your hips is key to comfortable backpack wear. Even a thin or lightly padded belt (as in this model) makes a significant difference.

Of course, it has a laptop pocket in the back, and the top compartment is un-divided so you can throw in a jacket or other personal doodads. The lower part also opens normally for access to all the photo gear. It's lightweight and comfortable and one of the most thought-out and functional packs I've seen anywhere.

Tamrac has generously donated a black one just like this for my Twitter and blog readers to win! Get full details and specs on this pack on Tamrac's site here.

To win, simply twitter this out by 8/17/10 at 6PM PDT:

I read the Kubota Blog and I might win a wicked backpack by Tamrac! http://bit.ly/cDwfRW

All Twitterers will automatically be entered and notified via Twitter Direct Message (DM) Good luck everyone!

]]>Skips Summer School - you were there!http://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/10/skips-summer-school-you-were-there.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-11T00:09:13ZJournal Entries alphabet contest laying down game story workshop workshop notesIf you came to Skips Summer School, and to my program, "The Power of the Project", then you probably want to download my seminar notes :-) I really appreciate everyone who attended the program. Skip's School is a unique learning experience and a fantastic forum for bonding with other photographers who share the same passion for photography and growing their businesses. Thank you Skip Cohen for putting your heart and soul in to it!

You can download the notes here. Make sure you use the password I gave you at the seminar to download and open the file. If you are looking to enter one of the project contests, please click here.

]]>Beautiful, easy, inexpensive lighting setup.http://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2010/8/6/beautiful-easy-inexpensive-lighting-setup.htmlKevin Kubota2010-08-06T19:23:02ZJournal Entries Lighting Tips & Tricks photography tips

Yesterday I posted one of the lighting techniques we created during our "Lighting in a Day" personal project that Benjamin Edwards and I did. That was a popular post, so I thought I'd share another image from the day. This time, it's indoors. We asked a local furniture store if we could use the upstairs showroom to shoot in. They happily obliged! By the way, Furnish is the coolest furniture store in Bend, OR! (You can order online too) We love shopping there and the owners are incredibly knowledgeable, helpful, and genuine. I always suggest to photographers who don't know where to shoot - just ask! I've gained access to some amazing locations simply by taking a chance and asking. You can do it too!

Our goal here was to use the minimal amount of equipment - stuff that most any photographer, new or experienced, should probably own. The only thing out of the ordinary was my Nikon 85mm f2.8 PC (Perspective Control) lens. It's made primarily for commercial tabletop photography and architectural work, but also gives a killer look for portraits! Ben got a little drool on my lens - nothing a little lens cloth couldn't get out though. Ooh, by the way, I think Ben's having a baby this morning! Congratulations Ben & Lauren!

OK, back to business. The equipment we used was:

• Nikon 85mm f2.8 PC lens

• Nikon SB900 & SB800 flash units

• 4 ch Flash Trigger from Scott Robert

• 2-Light frames with diffusion and reflector fabric

• Sticky Filters

• Light stands

Photographers don't often realize how much than can actually do with their camera makers portable flash units (Nikon SB900). They are relatively powerful and you always have them with you. The main thing you need, however, is a simple way to trigger them wirelessly. There are many wireless systems on the market. I use the Tamrac Micro Sync mainly for my studio flash units, but to trigger your on-camera type flash units, it's easier to have something with a hotshoe mount. I just got these new gadgets from Scott Robert at a recent workshop we both taught at. They are very affordable and super easy to use! The kit comes with a transmitter for the camera and 3 separate coded receivers - so you could control 3 flash units. I'd like to see a couple improvements in the system - like the battery doors that keep sliding open (easily fixed with gaffers tape :-) and they seem to go in to "sleep" mode in between setups so you have to manually trigger them once via the button on the receiver or your first shot will be sans light. Not that big a deal once you get used to it. It's also not TTL compatible, but that's not what it's intended for. Overall, it's one of the best deals around for a wireless trigger system.

The light frames are one of my most treasured and used photographic accessories. I can create beautiful window-like light or soft, yet dramatic, light like you see in this image. I use them for babies, kids, families, groups, small products, even cars (by grouping several together). I've used these for nearly 20 years as a pro photographer and it's, to me, one of the most indispensable tools we can have. I have these older PVC frames that are no longer made, but the newer aluminum style frames are a bit heavier and much more stable in the wind! (which is one of my main complaints with the light PVC models). This kit here has the essential diffusion fabric as well as reflection white and some snappier gold and silver. I'd probably add in a second frame so that you can use the diffusion and reflector together as we did here. This is one of the most versatile lighting tools you can have. Really.

I love my Sticky Filters, and here we applied the warm tungsten filter to the back light to, well, warm it up! These are primarily used to balance your flash to any existing light temperature - for example, if you want to use fill-flash while shooting indoors under tungsten light. However, they are great to just add color accents to your scene.

So, here's the shot and the setup. I tweaked the PC lens to throw her feet out of focus. By the way, if spending $1800 on a PC lens is not in your budget, you can get a similar - even more unique look - from a Lensbaby. I use this much more often than the PC lens and it's only $270. We do offer them on our Kubota Image Tools store if you want more info.

The exposure was F2.8 at 1/125 and ISO 200. The single Nikon SB900 was fired through the diffusion. Note that we kept it relatively close, about 3-4 ft., to create more dramatic light and falloff to the floor. If we were to pull the flash further back, lighting more of the back of the scrim, then we'd have softer, more even light from head to toe. Make sure to check the zoom of the flash as that will affect how much of the scrim it covers. We set it here to about 75mm. If it's too wide, you'll cover more of the scrim (giving you softer light) but it may also spill on to the background - so you'd need to flag it off a bit.

We added a groovy chair, a lovely model, and fired away!

I'll post more of the other images and information on the project after my presentation at Skip's Summer School next week, where I'm including all of the images as part of my talk on "The Power of the Project".

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