The Wonder Of Light

One of the core pieces of software in my digital workflow is Expression Media from Microsoft. Expression media is a media cataloging application, which helps me keep track of all of my images. With it, I can quickly and easily search for images by keyword, by rating, by date, by catalog set or indeed by any combination of the same. I can assign images to catalog sets, allowing me to keep track of things like which images were entered in publications or competitions, or which images have been posted on line etc. During the import process, Expression Media creates thumbnails for each image in the catalog, which means it does not matter if the images are archived or live, when accessing the catalog in future. Up until today, this system has worked really well for me and the performance of the software has not been an issue even as the size of the catalog has grown. Unfortunately though, whilst cataloging recent images, I started to encounter import errors and also a corrupted catalog (more…)

(Higher resolution version here)

The Irish Photographic Federation held their National Club Finals competition in Athlone this weekend past. The competition was a chance for all the clubs from across the country to battle it out for the title of best club nationally. Unlike the National Shield competition held back in November, this event is open to “advanced” members, so the images on display really were the best images, from the best photographers from all the clubs around the country. It is a panel competition, split into two seperate sections (colour and monochrome), where each panel contains 10 images; 20 over all. (more…)

Up until this week, I would have said that I have a pretty good, solid and most importantly consistent print work flow. I am able to print images and have the final print be representative of the on screen image. I take a consistent approach to colour management and am reasonably fastidious when it comes to calibrating my montitor. I had (have ) a pretty good grasp of the concepts of colour space and colour gamuts, and all in all I’ve been able to produce and print images that have been exhibited and published internationally. But this week, a simple yet highly saturated landscape image, rocked my colour management world (more…)