Another big week!

Before this week is over we will have launched the AWP Essentials Project, I will have completed my second interview with the amazing Lester Lefkowitz, and we will have done a total of FOUR live events! Yikes!

But before I talk about the Essentials  Project let me tell you what we are going to be doing for the Livestreams this week (I’m not going to tell you what I have planned for Lester - you will have to wait and see that for yourself in a couple of weeks!).

We will kick things off tomorrow with the Macro Talk Livestream where  am going to dig quite a bit deeper into the subject that has ben on a lot of minds over the last week or two - High-speed focus stacking in the field. The reason for this discussion stems from the issues that a few of you have had while trying to replicate the tremendous results that friend of the show, Claus Giloi has been getting. A few of us have been running into issues using cameras equipped with a “progressive” shutter (which is basically every camera except the global shutter equipped Sony A9-III). Why is this? What is it about the global shutter that makes this technique possible, and why are the rest of us struggling? Drop by on Tuesday and I will tell you. Here is your link… https://youtube.com/live/gluFjbJSFbo?feature=share

We can’t have this conversation without ending up  face-to-face with a bigger question - really it is THE big question. Is my macro photograph any good? So, what makes a good photograph? Says who? And why does it matter? I have a lot to say about this and I am pretty sure there are going to be a few feathers getting ruffled before I am done. But it will be fun! Here is your link to the stream… https://youtube.com/live/95J8c6obeMI?feature=share

Did you miss the AfterStack Livestream on Saturday? No problem, AfterStack #6 is now available on YouTube - https://youtu.be/PQ6BImlS-JI

This week is a Pzoom week - so Saturday morning at 10AM all of my Patreon Supporters are invited to come by for a 2-hour face-to-face back and forth about anything and everything macro-related (in other words, I have not decided on what I want to talk about yet!). Your Pzoom invitation is over on Patreon! See today’s post!

No sooner does the Pzoom wrap up and it is off to Minnesota, or South Dakota, or maybe Manitoba (I’m not positive) to catch up with Larry for the Tangent! Our very own 3D modeling and printing discussion forum for macro photographers (the only one on the planet, I am pretty sure). Everyone is invited and here is your invitation… Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: The Tangent

Time: Sep 28, 2024 12:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=84478036176

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

********

So, with all that out of the way, I want to tell you about t the new project I am launching this week - I think it is a big deal, but I will need our help to pull it off. Here is a summary of the project. Please look it over and, when you have, if it sounds like something you would like to get behind , please consider going over to the Walls App (www.walls-app.com) and leaving a message for Susan. If there is a particular topic that you would like to focus on, be sure to mention that as well. We will get back to everyone who responds and let you know all the details!

AWP MacroEssentials Project

Purpose

The AWP MacroEssentials Project is a viewer-centric initiative developed in response to requests from numerous viewers of the Allan Walls Photography YouTube channel for a practical, accessible, curated content guide that will help newcomers to the channel find and enjoy the content that most accurately meets their individual needs. In a nutshell, the end product will consist of a limited series of short videos that introduce the viewer to a specific category of content in a linear and progressive format that can form the basis for more advanced study or exploration. The format will be that of a video playlist consisting of, in the initial set, a dozen short videos in which Allan will introduce the viewer to a specially curated playlist of video content, including both complete videos and sections of larger videos or livestream presentations, addressing a specific topic of interest to macro photographers. In each introductory video Allan will personally and briefly summarize the key points made in the playlist videos.

People

Allan has recorded more than 800 hours of video content, most as standard YouTube videos, but also including 250 hours of Livestream recordings. Given his steady and unrelenting production schedule, it is perhaps unsurprising that he does not have the time to review all of this material by himself. It is also reasonable to surmise that he is not the best person to objectively review this content in search of the best material. But you are! To come up with the best possible selection of content that will be serve the purpose outlined above, Allan has assembled a team of volunteers who are familiar with his back catalog and motivated to be part of a project designed to serve the larger community of up and coming macro photography enthusiasts. To this end, Allan has asked two very special people, both long term supporters of the channel, to oversee the project. He is proud to introduce Susan Seaford and Amy Ferman as Co-Directors of this important project. Susan and Amy are assembling a team of volunteers, whose names will be released when the selection is complete.

Process

When the Volunteer list has been finalized, the Directors will assign to each volunteer a carefully selected area of focus. In the context of this project, an area of focus will consist of those core materials considered essential to mastery of a specific discipline within macro photography. One such area of focus might be “Focus Stacking”, and the Volunteer(s) assigned to this topic would seek out the best content from the AWP back catalog that addresses this area. The Volunteer(s) working on this area of focus would identify and rank the content blocks that they consider to be most important for a viewer trying to develop skills in that area. The Volunteer(s) may select entire videos or selections from within a larger piece of content, and may even include written content published on the AWP website or the AWP Patreon Page. The Volunteer(s), with input and guidance from the Directors, would also rank the content/content segments in a recommended viewing order. Each area of focus may contain as many content blocks as the Volunteer(s) and Director feel is appropriate, while avoiding unhelpful repetition or redundancy. The Volunteer(s) will be under no time constraints, their results being complete when they so state.

Product

The final product of this project will consist of a YouTube Playlist titled - AWP Macro Essentials (or something similar) and it will be an “on-ramp” for anyone looking to jumpstart their learning experience in macro photography. The playlist will be made up of around a dozen short videos, each addressing a key topic in macro photography. For example, the first video might be titled “AWP Macro Essentials #1 - Basic Macro Equipment” and it will be the first video in a new playlist titled “Basic Macro Equipment”. In each video Allan will briefly introduce the overall topic then talk (again, briefly) about the key points that will be covered in each of the linked videos in the playlist. The links to the videos (as well as links to other content we think is important, like articles, checklists, diagrams, or tables from Allan’s website) will be embedded in the video and listed in the program description. This way, the viewers can jump from content block to content block to find exactly what they need. In some cases the links will direct the viewer to an entire video, while others will direct them to a section of a video or livestream or some other kind of content. At least for now, these links will only be to Allan’s own content, though in the future we may add links to other materials by other teachers. This is also going to be an ongoing project with new videos being added to playlists as other, older ones are removed. Allan will continue to draw on the experience of you, the audience, to determine when a video, or section of a video, should be removed or added to a playlist. Allan will not curate these playlists without input from you - that would defeat the point of the project!

Next Step

If you would like to participate in this important project please visit the Walls App by going to www.walls-app.com and messaging Susan Seaford. Tell Susan you would like to be part of this project and be sure to tell her if there is a particular area you would like to concentrate upon. Ideally, we would have 2-3 Volunteers for each of the selected topics. The actual topics will be finalized when we see how many Volunteers step up. The Directors will make the assignments and finalize the list of topics, distributing a final directory as the project begins. Please direct any questions or suggestions to Susan or Amy, through the Walls App. Allan will give periodic updates throughout the course of the Project.

THANK YOU!!!