Image Quality

Hello everyone!

A gorgeous Portulaca seed

This is going to be an unusually short post today - I appear to have cholera, amoebic dysentry, shigellosis, or possibly the flu, but whatever it is  has been playing havoc with my busiest day of the week. I will make sure you know what is coming up and that you will be able to find everything you are looking for. Starting with the AfterStack from this last weekend. This was episode 10 and Bud talks a good bit about the Smart Object and why you need it. The video can be found here - https://youtu.be/5HYzpnW7MBk

In Episode 11, next weekend, it will be my turn to lead the discussion and I will be talking about making and using custom brushes in Photoshop. Not too hard to master but an incredibly powerful and useful tool.

This week’s Livestreams are going to be a lot of fun - on Tuesday I am going to talk about the top dozen or so causes of image quality issues in macro photography, specifically, studio focus stacking - for each problem I will tell you what you should do to diagnose and treat it. This one will be targeting newer photographers but should be a useful review for all of us. The link is here … https://youtube.com/live/asI0afAjB_E?feature=share

Then on Thursday, a completely different kind of show - I am going to do a live demonstration of how I prepare crystal for photography before showing you an exciting new art form that I invented at the weekend (just kidding - but it is still a very cool thing that I am going to show you.

A very beautiful crystal - chemical unknown

This one is going to feel like it is for more advanced photographers, but it isn’t - it is for everyone who is interested - I’ll show you how to modify my technique for your equipment. Your link is right here … https://youtube.com/live/u2_1MBsRZC0?feature=share

Pzoom cover for this week, with a very unusual crystal formation

Saturday is going to be busy - starting with a Pzoom meeting at 10AM until noon. I will be bringing a bunch of stuff to talk abut, in addition to a couple of introductions and updates. If that sounds a bit wishy-washy, it is because I have a strong memory of someone suggesting a topic for this week, and of me agreeing to it - but the important part, the topic itself, I have no idea. It will come to me, I’m sure, and if not, we will still have fun. The Pzoom invitation is posted over on the Patreon page.

After Pzoom, for those interested in  inventing cool stuff, we have the Tangent - a 3D modeling and printing discussion group that I love! I think that Larry is going to tell us how to make our 3D gadgets into technical drawings this week - I hope so, I have no idea how that is done. I will also show off a couple of cool gadgets that I designed and printed this week - the first is a new, improved Mitutoyo lens hood, that incidentally, was used to shoot every one of the seed pictures in this post. To find put what Larry has up his sleeve, go check out the Tangent page on my Discord Server!

A strangely beautiful image

A mixture of common chemicals, all with unique crystals

You need an invitation to get into  Tangent - and here it is…

Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Tangent

Time: Nov 23, 2024 12:30 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=88927385058

Meeting ID: 691 680 2815

Passcode: 678122

A very odd crystal combination

At some point this week I am going to announce the cool prizes from the mega competition that is currently under way - a Wild Card Macro contest where everyone can submit 3 images and you will be judged by me and the Uber-cool macro master, Lester Lefkowitz! Turn in your pictures at the usual place - the Walls App  is where to enter - www.walls-app.com

You will see this again on Thursday!

A word on the pictures today - they are all either Potulaca seeds, or crystals, because those are the things I have been working on in a couple of exciting side projects - hope you like them.

Not a seed or a crystal - a weevil instead!

Alright - I told you this would be a short one! Later…

All will be revealed on thursday!