Craft and Vision is a company that is dedicated not to making money, but to instruction and teaching. David, Corwin and the others at C&V want us as photographers to learn from the instructors as if we were in a class together and shooting together. My desire here at PeterB Desings is to help introduce the 12 people who stumble upon this site to these masters.

In their latest eBook, A Deeper Frame, David takes us into the camera frame and helps us to learn and understand the depth of the photographs we make.

The eBook begins with some definitions as well as a few examples of flat and deep photographs. David then dives deep into perspective and its importance in creating a sense of depth in your photographs. I especially liked this portion of the eBook as it augmented to the rule of thirds by adding the third dimension of depth. He helps us understand how this can be achieved through the use of placement of the camera as well as using different lenses. He helps us see the difference between a 24mm lens and a 85mm lens when it comes to perspective.

Further into this eBook, the author has a few exercises to try and not only understand what he is describing but to practice the concepts. Very helpful!

We all understand what focal depth is and maybe even some of us understand how to add this perspective in our photos, but the author then helps us understand that there is depth that can be added through focus, color, light and emotion. These four sections take up the rest of the eBook and are a delight to read and even more important are tangible to learn.

If you are like me and enjoy learning about your craft, take a look at these eBooks. They are wonderful and isn’t your craft worth $5?

Take a look at the links and discounts below, if you act quickly you can save yourself a boatload of cash off these already low prices. You will save and I will have a few bucks to add towards the hosting of this site. Thanks!

For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code DEEP4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of A Deeper Frame for only $4 OR use the code DEEP20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF eBooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST July 2nd, 2011.

For an even deeper (pun intended) discount:

We're offering our deepest discount ever! 12 eBooks for $40. That's about 34% off the already ridiculous price. That's $3.33/book! Fill your shopping cart with 12 ebooks and use discount code DEEPER12 to get $20 off!

This is crazy. this will for sure change the game when it comes to photography. check it out and just think of the possibilities.  

I love getting new inspiration and opportunities to expand not only my knowledge but also my skill set. the craft and vision ebooks are a wonderful (and very inexpensive resource). take a look at the write-up of this new ebook from the folks at craft and vision.

From the publisher:

Light and Land, Landscapes in the Digital Darkroom by Michael Frye is the newest ebook in the Craft & Vision library. Michael, a photographer based on the doorstep of Yosemite Nation Park, knows his stuff about inspired landscapes and the post-processing techniques that make his vision a reality. Light and Land is written specifically for people with an interest in landscapes and who want to clarify their own unique vision. Landscape work, like other specific genres, has its own challenges with respect to the digital darkroom and this ebook will be invaluable to anyone wanting to take their post-processing to the next level. With equal parts inspiration and instruction Michael goes step-by-step through the aesthetic judgments behind each decision and he unpacks the principles behind the landscape-specific considerations. This ebook walks you through the Lightroom-based development of 5 different images, discussing the hows and whys of each one. The principles apply equally for Lightroom as well as Aperture or Photoshop.  

SAVE on this ebook, today through December 19th

Special Offer on PDFs
For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code LAND4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Light & Land for only $4 OR use the code LAND20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST December 19, 2010.

Improve Your Craft. Buy Less Gear.
CraftAndVision.com

i have been away from the blog for a few weeks due to some illness and being extra busy, however i have a few ideas of some upcoming posts so be sure to stay tuned over the next few days.

today, i was reading 'the inspired eye'by david duchemin, read this section david calls "be open to serendipity" and just had to share it.

I read an article once about the connection between Jazz and comedy, specifically the element of improvisation. It got me thinking that there are strong connections to the world of photography. If what we do most of the time is unlike improv theatre, I don’t know what is.

The first rule of improv is this: Say Yes. Saying No blocks possibilities, prevents the others that are complicit in the process from playing their hand. It’s a move made by the heavy-handed and the control-freak, and improv - as well as photography and any creative process - is not the place for the closed-minded. Anyone with a death-grip on the steering wheel of the creative process forgets that there are a mulitplicity of elements beyond his control. At best you control the way in which you react to all the constraints that come your way, trying to control them removes you from the creative process, the act of making something.

But saying yes to what comes your way, allowing to be what it is, and moving with it, that’s an act of grace you bring to the situation in which you are photographing. Saying yes to chance happenings and seeing where they lead opens you to ideas and possibilities larger than yourself, to collaborate with forces and events bigger than you, and in turn to create images that are unexpected even to yourself, to create photographs that are bigger than your initial plans and concepts.

Call it an act of grace on the part of the muses, or a conspiracy of the angels, time or just dumb luck, it’s the way in which you respond to this that creates the exceptional image, poem, or concept. Luck, as they say, favours the prepared. It also favours the open-minded and the creative soul willing to roll with what comes instead of fighting it.

what is your reaction to this, do you agree, do you want to read more? david and the folks over at craft and visionhave a bunch of short ebooks that speak directly to creative people. mostly to photographers, however any creative art would really apply.

David has published a wonderful new ebook over at craft and vision. This new ebook is the newest in the print and process series. other titles in this same series such as David's Safari, Venice, and Chasing Reflections, by Eli Reinholdtsen stand out as great books with which to inspire us all and this book is no exception.

The book opens with an introduction to the authors thoughts about Iceland, how it differs from other more “typical” trips he takes and how he was inspired by the change of scenery in Iceland. The next 30 pages of this 64 page ebook are just the images of the monograph captured over a 10 day period in august of 2010.

The images in the beginning of the book is the authors print section of the ebook and are collected and captured as a monograph, which is to say a collection of images centered around a singular subject. In this case the country of Iceland. The colors, framing and composition used by the photographer are all similar which adds to the mood of the monograph. The selections chosen are wonderful for their structure and use of the authors new Tilt Shift lens. What an inspiration to creating my own monograph on something I'm passionate about.

The last section of this wonderful ebook is the process portion. In this section the author breaks down the process taken to capture the images shown in the first part of the book, this includes selecting the subject, planning, and executing that plan. There is then a quick jump into a more technical review of the images selected for the book. He shows a series of seven images as one example of what he was trying to “say” through an image an how he came to choose image seven. A few pages are then devoted to the case for using a tri-pod even when you don’t think it necessary equipment on a trip as well as a very compelling case for the use of Neutral Density filters.

The author continues this more technical look at the images presented in the book by moving onto the digital darkroom and his use of split toning to help the images selected keep to a desired consistent look. He has a few links to even download the Adobe Lightroom preset he used as a starting point.

The last part of the book discusses all the EXIF data, and the images themselves. The author gives us his rational for including each image into the book as well as the process used to take the image.

This is not the first, and will for sure not be the last David DuChemin book I read. I love the way this author has broken down some of the mysteries of photography as well as bringing and reinforcing the need for a vision for the images we make. This book has enough technical, beauty, imagination, inspiration and geek for all readers. Head on over to the craft and visions website to grab your copy of this book.

From the craft and vision people: (coupon, discount code, included for the book, see below)

ICELAND, A Monograph, is a showcase of exceptional photographs and it holds nothing back with respect to how the images were created. 

This eBook is the first look at 39 of the images David created in Iceland. The curtain is pulled back on technique – like how he used three different ND filters to work through an exposure problem, as well as the more internal processes related to creation – like finding inspiration and working through the frustrations of finding one's vision. The process and thinking behind those photographs are explained from a technical angle and the discussion of post-processing includes two free downloadable Adobe Lightroom Presets. For you travelers, David also briefly discusses logistics involved in the travel and supporting the digital workflow while tenting his way through Iceland.

ICELAND, A Monograph - The Print & The Process is larger than usual - a full 65 spreads of photographs and insights that will inspire as you develop your own craft. This is easily one of the books about which we are the proudest! The downloadable PDF is just $5USD.


Special Offer on PDFs

For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code ICE4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of ICELAND, A Monograph - The Print & The Process for only $4 OR use the code ICE20to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes expire at 11:59pm PST September 12, 2010.