July 15 – Sunday Sampler

This was the weekend for the 73rd New England Camera Club Council Conference (NECCC) at UMass, Amherst, MA! Always a fun weekend of learning and creativity. Great to see old friends and make some new ones. With almost 1,000 people, you’re sure to do both! If you’ve never been, mark your calendar for July 12-14, 2019, for the next big event! Details at www.NECCC.org.

I was thrilled to receive one of NECCC’s highest honors – the designation of HonNEC (Honorary Member of NECCC). Ten years ago I received my MNEC (Master Member of NECCC).

Congratulations to Jacob Mosser III, HonPSA, EPSA, HonNEC, who received NECCC’s highest accolade of Honorary Life Vice President. Jake has been involved in the Conference for many years, and held many positions. And congrats as well to the 3 MNEC awardees – Josh Goldin, Alan Kidawski, and Frank Zaremba; and one ANEC (non-New England contributor) to Marc Farb of Sigma. Kudos to all!

 

This week’s Sunday Sampler is a varied assortment – B&W Lines (actually a rug); wood grain and a red patterned fabric! Enjoy!

 

On September 23rd I will be doing an all-day hands-on Photoshop Workshop for the Capital Champlain Section of PPSNYS (Professional Photographers Society of New York State). The event will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (registration at 8:30 a.m.) and will be held at Moscatiellos Italian Restaurant, 99 North Greenbush Road, Troy, NY. The event is open to non-members as well as members. (Click images below for full-size flyer.)

 

SPEAKER UPDATE!

I have four confirmed speakers for our 2019 Conference! I pleased to announce that Anne Belmont, Lensbaby Specialist, will be returning with some new creative ideas for your floral and macro photography! http://www.annebelmontphotography.com/

Joining us in 2019 will also be:

John Barclay – Topaz webinar presenter, landscape photographer and all-around nice guy! “Dream, Believe, Create”. https://johnbarclayphotography.com/

Mark Bowie – Creative landscape photography, night photography and so much more (and another nice guy)! http://markbowie.com/

Betty Wiley – Cape Cod photographer. Lightroom creative editing, Lightroom Mobile for iPhone. http://bettywileyphotography.com/

Stay tuned for more info and speakers!!!

https://www.meredithimages.com/creative-photography-conference/

July 8 – Sunday Sampler

Happy Sunday! Luckily the heat wave here in the Northeast broke late Friday and it’s been a beautiful weekend – without the need for air conditioning! Hope you all had a relaxing Independence Day!

This week’s Sunday Sampler is one of my favorite subjects – RUST! From subtle grunge to cracked and splotchy! Enjoy!

And remember, you can always desaturate to get a black & white for just the texture without the color, or use hue/saturation or Topaz ReStyle to change the color palette of the textures.

 

UPDATES & BREAKING NEWS!!

I confirmed our 2nd speaker for the May 18-19, 2019 Creative Photography Conference. In addition to the return of Anne Belmont, Lenbaby specialist, the fabulous John Barclay will be joining the line-up of talented, creative speakers! John is an excellent instructor and workshop leader, a Topaz webinar presenter (he just did his 27th webinar this past week), and an all-around nice guy!

And…new for 2019 will be hands-on sessions on Friday! Bring your laptop and learn along with one of our speakers! Session will be from 1:00-4:00 (additional fee). More details to come!

Be sure to mark you calendar for May 18-19 to join us for the 3rd Creative Photography Conference in Southbridge, MA. There will be early bird pricing offered beginning September 1 through Black Friday (the only discount that will be offered) – don’t miss out! This year will be even bigger and better.

And stay tuned for details on a FALL 2019 Conference in the Chicago area!

Bookmark the web page HERE!

 

On WebDesignDev.com I found a few cool items for you!

20 Outstanding Free Photoshop Text Effects

25 Rust Textures (you KNOW I’ll be downloading these!)

25 Best Free Fonts for Commercial Use (one can never have too many fonts!)

And from PictureCorrect.com – Photography Composition Tips: How to Tell A More Compelling Story

 

REMINDER…

Thursday, July 26th, 2 pm Eastern/11 am Pacific

And if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to register for my webinar with Gavin & Alan of StudioMagic! Even if you can’t watch live, sign up and you’ll get an email link of the recording AND you’ll get a set of Elegance Photoshop Actions ($47 value) for FREE!

Click HERE to register!

 

July 1 – Sunday Sampler

Wow – July! Half way through 2018 already! Time sure does fly these days!

 

Since this coming week is Independence Day, I though fireworks would make a great Sunday Sampler! You can combine these or apply them to another image – just use the “Lighten” blending mode in PS or Elements. This image is all 3 shots combined:

 

 

I am very excited to be a
webinar presenter for this new software

StudioMagic
Photoshop Plugins!

This software lets you quickly and easily create some awesome effects including changing seasons, creating sunset looks, lighting effects, reflections, and rainbows as well as compositing, reflections, and much more!

Check it out here – there is a short video that demonstrates some of these cool effects!
https://store.layercakeelements.com/gav/webinar.html

StudioMagic helps you create dramatic effects quickly and easily. Join me, Gavin Phillips and software creator, Alan Mayer, for an informative and fun webinar.

Join us on Thursday, July 26th at 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern time. Sign up even if you can’t make it at that time and you’ll receive a link to be able to watch the recorded webinar any time afterwards. 

And…just for signing up for the webinar, you will receive a Free Set of Elegance PS Actions as well as a movie of how to create a double exposure in Photoshop! (A $47 value) 

 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

 

Thanks again to the 1,000 people that tuned in to my Topaz webinar a couple weeks ago!! There were over 2,000 registered – GoToWebinar maxes out at 1,000! It’s SO cool to see the “hello’s” in the chat box from all over the world as well as the kind comments.

If you missed the webinar, or want to watch again, the unedited replay can be found here: TOPAZ WEBINAR. The edited version will be on their YouTube channel soon.

I am also offering copies of my Notes from the Webinar – along with some bonus textures – for just $5 in my web store. With these, you get the images I used in the webinar and my detailed instructions so you can follow along and see how I created the final product. Find them in the Peacock Studio HERE. Just click on Topaz Notes in the store.

I saved all the questions and comments from the Chat Box so that I can answer a few questions here on the Blog. Let’s get to a couple.

Q: How far do you go in LR before going to Studio?

A: Most of the time, I do my basic editing in Lightroom, then open the file in Photoshop. From there I open Studio – or if I know I want to work in a particular Topaz module (like Texture Effects or Impression) I may open that module from Photoshop. Other times, however, I do open right into Studio if I really want to play with various Topaz modules.

Workflow is one of those very personal things – there’s really no right or wrong, it’s what works best for you!

Q: How do I add my own textures to Studio?

A: You can easily add your own (or other textures you have purchased or downloaded) to Studio.

Open Studio > open any image >

Go to “Adjustments” on the right toolbar > Textures.

Next to “Category” click on the little icon (square with the turned corner).

This will open the “Texture Manager”. If you want to create a separate folder for your own textures, click on “+ Add Category” > Name the Folder and click OK.

Make sure the new folder is highlighted in the left column > then click “Import” > scroll to where you have the textures saved, highlight the textures then click “Open” > they will now be imported to your folder.

To access them back in Textures, click the drop down for Category and select the folder you just created.

I will answer more questions in the coming weeks.

 

FREEBIES!

From Creative Graphica – Free Fonts. They also have free Graphics and Crafts (word art) – click the tabs at the top.

From Pixel Surplus – various freebies – fonts, textures, graphics and more – Freebie Roundup

And from Deal Jumbo – free textures/photos; fonts; graphics; mock-ups – click the Freebies link to get to all of the various categories. Photo Freebies

 

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

A composite of 4 fireworks shot taken at this location!

June 24 – Sunday Sampler

Happy Sunday! We had a great birds of prey photo shoot yesterday with the CT Association of Photographers! Thanks to Skyhunters for bringing their beautiful owls and raptors for us to photograph. This is the gorgeous red tailed hawk posing!

 

This week’s Sunday Sampler consists of some Red Rust!! Remember, you can always change the color of a texture with a Hue/Saturation Adjustment! Enjoy!

 

JUST RELEASED TODAY…

NOTES from my Topaz Webinar! 

Work along with me as you watch the replay of my Topaz webinar from June 19th! The edited replay will be posted soon on the Topaz YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/topazlabs/videos).

You will receive my detailed notes with all the settings and Topaz products used, my original images, the cloud overlay used on the train image…AND…a free bonus of 5 other cloud images that you can use in your own projects (you can never have too many clouds/skies in your library!).

Available in my online store, the Peacock Studio, 
for just $5.

https://www.meredithimages.com/products/ 

And don’t forget to use the discount codes from the webinar!

HAZELWEB10 saves you $$ on any product on the Topaz website including the newly released AI Clear Studio Pro Adjustment! Expires today!
http://topazlabs.com/

And the code TOPAZ25 will save you 25% off any of my texture sets or eBook. Expires 6/30.
https://www.meredithimages.com/products/

I am very excited to be a
webinar presenter for this new software

StudioMagic
Photoshop Plugins!

This software lets you quickly and easily create some awesome effects including changing seasons, creating sunset looks, lighting effects, reflections, and rainbows as well as compositing, reflections, and much more!

Check it out here – there is a short video that demonstrates some of these cool effects!
https://store.layercakeelements.com/gav/webinar.html

StudioMagic helps you create dramatic effects quickly and easily. Join me, Gavin Phillips and software creator, Alan Mayer, for an informative and fun webinar.

Join us on Thursday, July 26th at 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern time. Sign up even if you can’t make it at that time and you’ll receive a link to be able to watch the recorded webinar any time afterwards. 

And…just for signing up for the webinar, you will receive a Free Set of Elegance PS Actions as well as a movie of how to create a double exposure in Photoshop! (A $47 value) 

I very quickly was able to add this rainbow!!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP!

June 17 – Sunday Sampler

Happy Father’s Day to all of the Dads, Step-Dads, and Father-in-Laws – those still with us and those we have lost.

 

This week’s Sunday Sampler consists of brick and stone from last year’s trip that included Baltimore Harbor. The water taxis are a great way to get around the harbor!

 

My 10th Topaz webinar is THIS TUESDAY, June 19th at 5:00 Eastern time! Join me as I demonstrate how I use Topaz Studio and plug-ins in my workflow. Everything from a simple vignette, to a more complicated “out of bounds” effect! Sign up HERE! Even if you can’t watch live, sign up and you’ll get a link to the recording.

 

And more big new from Topaz Labs – a new Pro Adjustment to add to Studio — AI Clear! This fabulous adjustment Removes Noise; Sharpens Subjects; Reduces Artifacts; and Enhances Details. I’ve been testing it and it’s pretty cool! It lets you make all of these adjustments in one place – quick and easy and a great job!

This will be released on Tuesday, June 19th, and will be available at the sale price of $59.99 until June 30th. CLICK HERE to check out the amazing Pro Adjustment!

 

Learn how to create “Creative Spotlights with Radial Gradients” in this article by Blake Rudis on iso1200.com.

And find “80+ Best Photo Manipulation Tutorials in Photoshop”over on Pixel2PixelDesign.com. 

 

AND…stay tuned next week for details on some other cool software I’ve been playing with — I will be doing a webinar for them on July 26th! A great way to create composites, special effects and more — quick and easy!

 

June 10 – Sunday Sampler

Happy Sunday! Finally had a non-rainy Saturday and actually went out to photograph! My hubby, Dave, loves trains, cars – anything transportation related (I do too) and yesterday those were combined at “Steel & Wheels” in Danbury, CT at the Danbury Railway Museum, where they had a classic car show!

Growing up my Dad like auto racing, and we used to spend many Saturday nights at the old Danbury Racearena – there was one of the old racecars there too – brought back lots of memories.

Taken on iPhone 8+. Edited in Snapseed and DistressedFX.

 

This week’s Sunday Sampler is a variety of textures from different places. The striped rust is from a train car yesterday – the Gray Brick is from Baltimore and the Waves is part of a statue! Enjoy!

I’m always on the lookout for cool things to share – freebies, tutorials, etc. Here’s a couple of good ones!!

From FreeWebTutorials, “101 Best Photoshop Tutorials for Beginner to Advanced”. There are some very creative tutorials for compositing and much more – check ’em out!

From PSD-Dude, “70 Amazing Free Textures for Commercial Use”. Some really nice textures. It is important to be sure you check the “Terms of Use” before using textures (or fonts, etc.) in a project you plan to sell. These state in the headline that they are approved for commercial use.

 

Last call to take our Survey! We’re looking at heading to Chicago in early Oct. 2019. Where else would you like to see us visit? While we can’t be everywhere, we are definitely going to be moving around the U.S. Suggestions welcomed!

 

Have a great week!

June 3 – Sunday Sampler

Happy June! Typical New England weekend – hot & humid yesterday, cool & breezy today!

This week’s Sunday Sampler consists of textures from the Southbridge Hotel where we held our Conference – rug, wallpaper, and some birch bark that was part of photo ops (thanks to Meghan Wakefield for sharing some natural goods from her Maine property).

And speaking of the Creative Photography Conference…

Our Spring 2019 conference will again be held at the Southbridge Hotel & Conference Center in Southbridge, MA.

Mark your calendars for May 18-19, 2019! And…we will be offering an optional buffet for dinner (no long waits in the lounge and great food like our lunches!)

AND…we will be holding a FALL Creative Photography Conference as well! Tentatively in early October – leaning towards the Chicago area for our first Fall conference.

If you haven’t yet taken our Survey to tell us where you’d like to see a future Conference held, CLICK HERE to voice your opinion.

 

My next Topaz webinar is coming up on Tuesday, June 19th at 5:00 pm EDT. Join me for some creative projects using Topaz Studio and more. Sign-up is on the TopazLabs.com website – they usually open registration about a week before the webinars.

 

I plan to have some new tutorials for you soon! And some new textures in the Peacock Studio. I’ve been busy with both our Creative Photography Conference as well as the NECCC Conference in July at UMass Amherst (getting brochures set up and printed). If you have never attended this Conference, you should check it out. It’s expanded this year to include more than 30 speakers (most of whom have never been at this conference before); more photo ops; hands-on sessions and much more. Check it out at http://www.NECCC.org.

Have a great week!

 

May 27 – Sunday Sampler

A HUGE thank you to all who attended last weekend’s “2nd Creative Photography Conference”! It was a very successful event – we had great speakers, good food, nice atmosphere – overall I was very pleased with the event (with the exception of the lounge food service!).

We are planning to hold the event in other locations around the U.S. and we’d love your feedback on where to visit! Please take this short SURVEY and let us know where you’d like us to hold an event, and any feedback you have on the first 2 conferences if you attended. Thanks for your help!

CLICK HERE FOR SURVEY

 

This week’s Sunday Sampler contains six textures as I did not publish last weekend. These images were taken at the Conference by my hubby, Dave. There are “blurred” versions of the marble fireplace and some beautiful early morning skies from Sat. morning – just before the rain set in! Thanks dear!

 

OUR FACEBOOK GROUP

If you are new to the blog, we have a Facebook group for our texture artists! We hit 1,000 members last Fall and we are over 1,800 now!

Join us at: Textures: Turn Ho-Hum Into a Work of Art

And since we have so many new members, last night I announced a Memorial Day Sale on all textures and eBooks in the Peacock Studio. Save 25% off through 5/31/18 with the code MEMORIAL25 at checkout. Click HERE to visit the store.

 

MEMORIAL DAY

And speaking of Memorial Day, let us not forget the true meaning of the day – to remember those fallen servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Last year we were in Washington, D.C. on this weekend – it was extremely emotional. We visited Arlington Cemetery on Sunday and witnessed the flags at all of the graves. There were also volunteers laying roses on each grave. Beautiful. Watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in the pouring rain – they perform their duties rain, shine, snow, cold – the soldiers chosen consider it an honor to guard the tomb.

On Monday we visited several of the Memorials in D.C. Another very emotional day.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend with friends and family and remember our fallen heroes.

Meredith Images Privacy Policy

No doubt you have received countless emails regarding the new GDPR Regulations. We are sharing our privacy policy in this email. It is posted on our website as well. Thank you!

Meredith Images works to make sure that the privacy of all the users is protected. If we ask for any information from the visitors to our website, we will make sure that it is all handled in the manner of the privacy statement that is below. Meredith Images takes its responsibilities to protecting your data very seriously and we do advise you get to know our practices. If there is anything in this policy you don’t understand or if you want to ask any questions, please feel free to contact us using the details below.

We hope you’ll take some time to read this document; we’ve tried to keep it as simple as possible and we will keep you informed if there are any changes to the way we process your personal data in the future, before making them.

This privacy policy describes the way Meredith Images utilizes the information that is collected. It also describes the way that the information that is collected is protected whenever the website is used.

Information That Is Collected By the Website
The information listed below may be collected by the website:

• Name
• Contact information that may include an email address

It is possible to visit the site anonymously

How the Information That Is Collected May Be Used

The information that is collected is used to help understand the needs of the visitors to the website. It will allow us to improve the service that we provide and can also be used for the following purposes.

• Record keeping by the website.
• Information can be used to improve the way the website operates and improve the products and services that are offered.
• We use it to personalize the page for each visitor and to provide information about new products, special offers or other things that can pertain to the individual.
• Information can help us send personalized offers and promotions to the website visitors
• Newsletters or blog posts
• We will never sell your information.

It is possible to unsubscribe from the emails at any time

Protecting Information

We take our customers and website visitor’s privacy seriously and include safeguards designed to keep all information safe and secure.

Links with Third Party Websites

The website does, at times, include links to third party sites. This is done to enhance our visitor’s experience. The links will direct the user to a different website that we are not responsible for. We are not in control of their privacy and security. It is up to the user to check that third party website’s privacy policy. 

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Compliance

In Compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection we do not collect information from anyone that is under the age of 13. All of the information and offers on our website are directed to people over the age of 13.

Here’s what you can expect to receive from us in the future:

• blog posts containing free textures and information on upcoming events (seminars, webinars, conferences)
• other news from creative world
• periodic newsletters with information on events and other resources

 We don’t spam. We only give you news, deals & freebies we believe is interesting for you. We take your privacy very seriously and will never share your personal details with a third party. If you want to update your email preferences or unsubscribe please use the links in our newsletters or contact us.

Your name and email information are SECURE with newsletters providers we’re working with: MailChimp, and also with the payment website we are working with: PayPal (all payment information is provided only to this secure website – we do not have access to any payment information). 

Meredith Images is fully compliant with the GDPR

At Meredith Images, we respect your privacy and are committed to keeping your data safe and secure. For this reason we welcome the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) created by the European Union (EU).

It is possible to unsubscribe from the emails at any time! If you need some help with unsubscribing from our newsletters please contact us anytime via email!

 

 

 

May 13 – Sunday Sampler

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms out there. Hope you had a nice day with family.

We’ve been busy putting the finishing touches on prep for our Creative Photography Conference NEXT WEEKEND! Been planning for a year and it’s finally here. Can’t wait to hear our fabulous speakers and learn some new tips myself! If you’ve been on the fence about being able to join us, now is the time – we have a few spots left! Head to https://www.meredithimages.com/creative-photography-conference/ for the details and to register.

 

This week’s Sunday Sampler is a few more textures from the abandoned brewery shoot we did a couple of months ago. And they’re not peeling paint or grunge, but rather, some interesting patterns in glass and mesh. Just shows how many textures there are around us every day – we just have to be open to looking.

And, if you are new to the blog (or if just haven’t done it before), check out our Facebook group – textures: turn ho-hum into a work of art. Lots of great inspiration by our fabulous artist members.

 

I’ve scheduled my next Topaz webinar for Tuesday, June 19th, 5:00 p.m. EDT. Hope you can join us! Registration is usually posted the week prior to the webinar. Sign up even if you can’t watch at the posted time – you’ll get a link to the recorded webinar to watch later.

I’m still planning some projects for it – if you have something you’d like to see me demonstration, send me an email!

 

From Creative Nerds – “25 Fresh Free Fonts from 2018”

From Photoshop Tutorials – “Urban Ink Photo Effect”

 

That’s it for this week! Thanks everyone!