Luminescence of Nature Photography
In this issue
News: Save up to $150 on Nik Software
News: Photo Mechanic 5 Beta Release
Photo Tip from Jason: Shooting into the Sun
Texas Birding 2013
15% Discount from Flypaper Textures
Luminescence of Nature eBook and Video Catalog
Photo of the Month: Badlands Dawn
The Photographer's Guide to Silver Efex Pro
South Dakota Badlands, just before sunrise.
Here's an image I captured during my South Dakota Photo Safari. We had an amazing time, but we really had to wake up early to catch this kind of light. This shot was taken at 4:48am, but it was totally worth it. 

Fire Update:
The Waldo Canyon Fire was 95% contained as of July 6th. Thank you to everyone who helped support the firefighters and those who lost their homes. Thanks to your generosity, I was able to make a substantial donation to the Pikes Peak Red Cross to help those in need.
Signature
Nik Software Complete Collection on Sale through July 8th!
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Nik Software LogoNik Software USA is offering the Complete Collection at a substantial discount through July 8th. Save $150 off the Ultimate Collection or $75 off the Lightroom/Aperture Collection. This offer expires at midnight Pacific Time on July 8th, 2012.
 
If you don't need the full set of plug-ins, you can still save 15% your purchase with coupon code JODELL.
CameraBits announces Photo Mechanic Version 5 Public Beta
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CameraBits has just announced a major new version of their powerful image browser, Photo Mechanic. I've been testing the beta version, and it's a significant upgrade from version 4. In this version, you get even more IPTC options, you can view movies, and searches are cached for improved speed.

I whole-heartedly recommend Photo Mechanic as a front-end browser to anyone using Capture NX. It's also a great way to embed metadata into your RAW files directly... something that Aperture and Lightroom don't do.

All registered users of Photo Mechanic 4 can try the free beta of version 5. Learn more here. 
 
Tip of the Month: Shooting into the Sun
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Sunrise over the Badlands
This HDR  image was taken with my Nikon D4 and 16-35mm f/4 AFS VR G Nikkor lens. In order to get this image right for HDR, there were a couple of things I had to do.
  • First, when shooting into the sun, stop your lens down all the way to the smallest aperture. In this example, I used f/22. This has the nice side-benefit of creating that cool star pattern in your image.
  • Next, align the sun with the lens axis to minimize ghosting and flare. This is especially important when shooting an HDR sequence, as flare is nearly impossible to get rid of.
  • If you are shooting HDR, you'll need to use a wide range of exposures to make sure you've captured both the sun rays and some of the shadow detail. For this image, I shot a range of +/- 4EV to get the full sequence. On most Nikons, that would translate to a 9-shot bracket sequence 1EV apart. On the D4, you can do it with five shots 2EV apart.

I tone-mapped the image in HDR Efex Pro, and I intentionally kept the foreground a little dark. After all, we are accustomed to seeing "sun shots" as silhouettes, so I didn't want to make it look too surreal.

USA/Canada Residents Save 15% off HDR Efex Pro when you use coupon code: JODELL at the Nik Software online shop.
Reserve Your Spot for the Texas Birding 2013 Photo Safari
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The Photographer's Guide to Silver Efex ProI had such a great time with a fantastic group of photographers this year that I've gone ahead and booked space in the private photo blinds of South Texas for May 15-19 2013.

This one of a kind trip includes three days of wildlife photography in professional photo blinds, hands-on instruction, lodging, and home-cooked meals every day. 
15% Discount from Flypaper Textures
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I'm pleased to announce that the nice folks at Flypaper Textures are offering my readers 15% off the purchase of any full Flypaper Texture pack. Just visit Flypaper Textures, and use coupon code: JASONO (not valid on Taster Packs).
 
Learn more about Flypaper Textures in my downloadable training video, Layers of Creativity.
Luminescence of Nature Press Catalog
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In case you've missed the latest lineup, here's everything currently available from Luminescence of Nature Press. Don't forget to check the Bundle Savings Tab for discounted packages!
  • The Photographer's Guide to Color Efex Pro 4 (New)
  • The Photographer's Guide to the Nikon 1 V1/J1 (Now available on iBooks for iPad)
  • The Photographer's Guide to Capture NX2
  • The Photographer's Guide to Silver Efex Pro 2 +Companion Video Set
  • The Photographer's Guide to HDR Efex Pro +Companion Video Set
  • Black & White with Capture NX2
  • Sharpening Techniques for Capture NX2 (video workshop)
  • Field Notes: A Photographic Journey (Now available on iBooks for iPad)
  • Layers of Creativity (video workshop for Photoshop)