Free eBook for all newsletter subscribers

Maybe some of you have already noticed the change in the sidebar, but I have created my first ever eBook. This one is for free to all, who subscribed to my newsletter. So if you still haven’t, now is your chance :) Head over to the newsletter page for more details, or you can subscribe directly in the widget to the right of this post.

Topaz Star Effects review

There will be still many more reviews on this blog. Today the new one is about the Topaz Star Effects. As I mentioned before, my reviews are short and I try to stick to the point. That is, what the plugin is for, and why you would like to use it. Same this one :).

And btw., between the December 10th and December 31st 2013, you can use the code “decstar” for a 50% discount on this plugin. More information can be found on the Topaz Star Effects site

Sunset at the Michael’s gate

There are not many high spots in the center of Bratislava, so one has to use all one can find. So last week I visited all the towers that are accessible (all two of them :)). I don’t think there are more, but correct me if I’m wrong. I already posted a photo from the Town hall tower earlier, so here is one from the Michael’s gate. It’s not really that all, but in the Old tow, it’s still one of the tallest.

This is a HDR created from 5 shots in Oloneo Photoengine and then merged with original exposures and finished in Photoshop.

Last day of the giveaway

Tomorrow is the last day you can join my Oloneo Photoengine giveaway, so if you have not yet joined, this is your last chance. You can find it on the contest page. It’s also the last day to vote for you favorites in the editing contest, so head over to the contest album and give a like to your favorites.

Nik Analog Efex Review

To continue my additions of reviews to this blog, there is a new review of the Nik Analog Efex Pro plugin. This is the latest addition to the Nik plugin collection, and one to give you that popular vintage look.

Castle an the bridge

The Bratislava castle is a very dominant landmark in Bratislava. You can see it from so many spots. But it also is hard to come up with a new view, I haven’t used before. But this time I found one. I went to the Port bridge, and took a photo with my longest lens. I was hoping for a nice reflection of the bridge in the Danube, but as it was a quite windy day, I had no luck with that. But that only means that I will have to revisit the spot :)

This is a HDR created in Oloneo Photoengine, then blended with original exposures.

First issue of HDRshooter newletter

Yesterday I send out the very first issue of the HDRshooter newsletter. I hope it will be the firs one of many to come :) If you are curious, you can see it here: HDRshooter Newsletter Issue #1

The newsletter won’t be are regular one, as I will create a new one only when I have enough new stuff to put in it. If you like it, and want to stay in touch with the blog, feel free to subscribe. I promise not to spam you, and the newsletter will always include a links to guides, not yet published on the blog :)

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Nik Silver Efex Pro review

I have again added a new review to this blog. This time it is a one of the Silver Efex Pro plugin by NIK. So check it out to see what is this plugin about and if it’s something you might use in your post-processing.

Sunset riders

This is a statue called the Mythical ship in Bratislava, next to River park. I wanted a photo like this for a longer time, and yesterday, thank you a coincidence (the spot I wanted to go for sunset was not accessible) I got it. The sunsets the whole last week were just beautiful, full of purple and pink colors. Too bat its over, with today’s weather being a snowstorm.

This photo was such a pain to edit. As with all photos with very high differences in bright and dark areas, I had a huge problem getting rid of the halos around the statue. I tried first to blend them using Oloneo and Photomatix, but in the end I had to do it all manually. I actually thought of retouching the supports out of the photo, so having it just floating in the air, but that wouldn’t look so real after that :)

Giveaway reminder

For all those who still haven’t joined my Oloneo Photoengine giveaway, you still have 3 more days to do so. The winner will be chosen this Sunday at midnight. To join, just go to the contest page and use the Rafflecopter widget.

How to organize photos

Just finished reading (and watching) Trey Ratcliffs latest book/tutorial Organize Your Photos – The Three Level System. I’ve been using Treys approach to organization for a longer time, since I read his older book about this subject. But the new version now splits this into three levels based on your obsession with your organization. I can honestly say, I’m level 3, I’m very obsessive with my organisation. But as my Lightroom library is around 100 000+ photos, I have to be. Still the new book gave me a few new ideas what to change and tweak, even if I still have to clean up a big part of my own library.

So if you are looking for a way to organize you photos, this new book could be for your. You can find it here Organize Your Photos – The Three Level System (BONUS), and if you decide to buy it, you can use the code “SIC-6591” for a 10% discount :)

Almost perfect reflection

I think I mentioned it before, but the Kuchajda lake is the best place for reflections in Bratislava. It’s always very calm, and the sunset look just great there. You can almost think that this reflection is fake, created in Photoshop, as it just looks too perfect. But I can assure you, this is really how it looked like. And since the whole week we have great sunsets in Bratislava, I had one also yesterday. This photo is even taken a little later, after the best colors already faded, when the blue hour already began. But I processed it first, as in the sunset photos you cant see the building lights so much. Either way, I will get to those later anyway.

This is a HDR created in Oloneo Photoengine and then blended with original exposures in Photoshop.

Contest voting

The contest voting over on Facebook is up to a fast start, with hundreds of likes already given to the submitted photos. Check them all out in this Facebook album.

Nik Color Efex Pro 4 Review

I’m slowly adding more reviews of all the software and hardware I have been using. This time it is of the Nik Color Efex Pro Photoshop plugin. My reviews focus more on what I like and use about the software, but I think some of you will find them helpfull :)

Christmas market in Bratislava

As in a lot of cities, there is also a Christmas market in Bratislava. And as I didn’t get any photos of it last year, I was searching for a nice vantage point to take a photo now. But I was not in the mood to take photos in the middle of all those people, so I went up to the Town Hall tower, to take photos from there. The view was nice, it was just freaking cold there :).

This is a HDR created from 5 exposures in Oloneo Photoengine and the combined with original exposures in Photoshop.

Recently I’ve been taking more “Behind the camera” shots, so I’m also including one from that evening.