New Design : Hi gang, we just updated the website with a new design. You may also notice a new design for the Newsletter. If you are interested in having some graphics work done, hit me up and I'll turn you on to my guy who designed the site & newsletter. He does nice work and he's very affordable. Turn around time is quick and he'll work with you until you are pleased. He does adult as well as mainstream design.

Visit the site: TheGlamourWorkshop.com

Tetherlock: One of my favorite things to do is shoot tethered to my laptop. It enables me to do test shots of my lighting setup and view the results on my computer instead of that little display on the back of my camera. But staying connected via the firewire cable is always a pain in the ass. Check out this little device if you are having issues staying connected when shooting tethered. I bought 2 of them and they work beautifully!

For more information visit: Tetherlock.com

Jamie Lynn Workshop: I'm still working out the details for a workshop with Penthouse Pet of the Year for 2006 Jaime Lynn. Right now it's just a matter of finding a Saturday that'll work for both of us but we are making progress. We are looking at the end of September or beginning of October. Jamie is an amazing model and has been featured in many men's magazines and also runs her website SexyJamie.com

More pictures of Jamie can be found at Freeones.com

Q: Dan from Los Angeles asks: "Dean, what are your thoughts on using soft focus filters? Should I use a soft focus filter on my camera lens or just add a soft focus effect in Photoshop?

A: Hi Dan - good question however in my opinion....there isn't a clear cut answer on this one. The purists would say use a filter if you want that effect but in this day and age...I think doing it in Photoshop is fine. With that said...I prefer to use a soft focus filter on my lenses.

I think you should make the decision based on testing. Shoot some pictures of a model with a filter on your lens and shoot some pictures without the filter. Compare what you shot with the filter with pictures that you added a soft focus effect utilizing Photoshop. Resize the images to the size that you'll be using them on the internet, sharpen and compress (for the internet) and then analyze the results. From there it should be obvious which method will work best for your needs.

If you would like to submit a question to be answered in an upcoming newsletter, hit me up!

Photoshop Actions: Next week we'll explore writing and using actions in Photoshop. I use actions all the time in Photoshop for processing my images. Some of the actions I wrote myself and some I have purchased from others. Actions can be a real time saver if you know how to use them correctly.

Next week I'll turn you on to some of the actions that I use and where you can purchase them yourself!

Tungsten Lights: I love mixing flash & tungsten lighting whenever I have the chance. Since my white balance on the camera is setup for daylight, the tungsten is recorded as very warm. It's perfect for using as an accent light on the girls body or for background lighting.

In this shot of Karlie that I did for my client Cyberage, I used a tungsten light to light up the table in the background and another to light up her hair & her back. The key to making this work is to adjust your shutter speed to balance out the tungsten light with the flash that your using. This technique will be demonstrated in great detail at our upcoming workshop.

Also in the shot we used a flash to light up the outside area (the greenery in the background) because it was a cloudy day and for the main light we used a 7ft round soft box.

It's all about controlling your lighting and not letting your lighting control you. You are only limited by your knowledge and as long as you understand a few key things - you'll be able to better realize your vision instead of just accepting whatever comes out of your camera.

For more information on learning techniques like this, visit TheGlamourWorkshop.com and signup for one of our upcoming Photography Workshops.

Thanks guys - talk to ya' soon!



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