Rudy Triana Photographer - Max Focus Photography Blog

Milk Dress: Photographer Rudy Triana and his Milk Dress Creation

2010-06-15T20:24:00.004-04:00

Milk Dress

It's been a while since i've written the latest updates to my blog! I've been busier then a one-legged river dancer!

The latest project was one that involved alot of science, patience, and creative cutting edge graphic design techniques utilizing Adobe Photoshop CS5, 3D Rendered liquid splatters & 3D rendering software.

The image above was my latest project.

Shot within a studio utilizing a Canon 50D, 50mm F/1.4 lens and a 3-light setup.
Working on a better version of this special effect, but I've decided to post a sample demo of my Milk Dress creation to see what reaction it receives from my fans and people who come across my works.

Very few attempts to create a milk dress have been attempted by photographers. Many remakes of the infamous "Water Dress" for Gisele Bundchen's iPanema's Campaign has been overdone many times so I went with Milk to separate myself from the water dress crowd.

Originally the model wore under-apparel such as a swimsuit, then in post-processing the milk dress was created in 3D applications, rendered, and then imported into Photoshop CS5. This project took me 3 weeks to complete requiring alot of patience. Likely the most challenging part to this project was matching a 3D rendered milk splatter to an actual still image.

Again, this shot posted is just a quick sample demo of what's to come in the next few weeks. I will be posting a much better version of this when the time comes. Stay tuned.

Max Focus Photography: www.maxfocusphotography.com
Photography by: Rudy Triana
Model: Chelsea Davenport

The Pros and Cons of Modeling: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

2009-11-17T21:23:00.014-05:00

Modeling In The Spotlight

Many young girls and guys dream of a modeling career. It is a profession that is tied to fame, glamour, money and travel to exotic locations. With these fantasy images in mind people spend thousands on portfolios, modeling classes and exercise regimes in the hopes of being signed by an agency that will catapult them to the pinnacle of success. This is the elusive 'carrot' that causes people to cross personal boundaries and ignore reality when it comes to their own particular situation. While there are many good things to be found in the world of modeling there is also a dark underside that everyone should be aware of before signing their life away...

Pros to Modeling

If you sign with a reputable agency you will make a good income. There are a lot of options for models such as: catwalk work, magazine layouts, catalogs, advertisements and other opportunities. Height is not as much of an issue as people think. It is only relevant to the catwalk. Many models with smaller statures are generating a lot of work for themselves in other avenues. Not to mention there are such things as hand and feet models.

Travel is a normal part of this profession. Sometimes you get to stay in exotic locations and even live abroad. Usually you are housed with other models and so it is a very social life. Alternatively, you could choose to take jobs within your local area only and enjoy the benefits of being near home. You will probably not earn the big bucks this way (unless home is New York or Paris) but you will receive a nice sideline income with which to pay the bills.

Modeling can be a great boost to your confidence. Seeing finished photos within the covers of a magazine is an incredible experience. Most people don't realize how glamorous they can look until they've participated in a professional shoot.

Finally, of course, there is the fame factor. If you are one of the lucky few to reach the top of this profession everyone will know who you are. Your face will open many doors and opportunities to parlay your modeling work into other careers will abound. There are many examples of models starting fashion lines, hosting TV shows or investing in businesses that previously would have been difficult to attain.

These are the positive aspects of a career in modeling. Unfortunately there are also a lot of 'negatives' associated with this profession.

The Cons of Modeling

1) Money Scams – Scam artists on modeling social network sites pretending to be agents, brokers for modeling agencies and certain “glamour shot” operators pry on young girls and women taking their money with the promise of making them a model or finding them agents. There are many, many, many shady agencies. They are run by scam artists who are only interested in taking every last cent you have. They prey on the dreams of young people in order to make themselves rich and the victims are left with nothing.

2) Modeling Styles - There are many types of modeling. Fashion, Glamour, Boudoir, Nude Art, Swimsuit, Fitness, etc. BONDAGE Modeling will not get you anywhere in a professional healthy career and very likely may have peers lose respect for you as a true professional model.

3) Anorexia and Obsession with Weight – Much has been written lately about the modeling industry’s obsession with weight and specifically eating. Models are literally skin and bones, their bodies fading away to nothing. And it is not just the perception of the models but also the industry as a whole, which encourages destructive behavior. The problem is only the models get hurt, some even dying in the name of “thin”. Recently, however, countries and organizations around the globe have started to take steps to change this attitude and actually ban the use of paper thin models.

4) Hectic Schedules – Location shoots, traveling to work usually by plane, early mornings preparing for the shoot and late nights make it difficult for models to properly rest.

5) Career vs. Motherhood – Because of the hectic schedules, the “thin is great” philosophy and the fact that pregnant models are not readily in demand, many women struggle with the career versus motherhood dilemma. Unless she wants to instantly give up her modeling contract, becoming pregnant is almost impossible.

6) Porn companies posing as "modeling agencies" - The problem is many young women are lured and forced into the business with the promise of moving on to modeling. Many ads are placed advertising for models when in fact, once the girls arrive they are expected to participate in adult movies. Scam artists and corrupt-minded booking agents will lure into seeking young aged women into a downward cycle. Worse still are the porn agencies who present themselves as legitimate modeling businesses. They sign girls up and then slowly brainwash them into thinking they have to be sexy to make it. Over time they use peer pressure to convince the girls that porn is a part of the business and that this is the easy way to make lots of money. Of course there is nothing 'easy' about a life involved with porn. Not to mention, porn is NOT modeling.

7) Degraded - As a model you are considered a product not a person. (Especially in the beginning when you are still an unknown.) As such people tend to talk AT you not TO you. Sometimes agents and photographers will talk about you as if you are not standing in the same room. For anyone lacking confidence in themselves this can be very disconcerting and upsetting. Usually there will be comments about your physical appearance. These can be quite harsh and demeaning which is why the industry has been plagued with issues related to eating disorders. Given the recent deaths of some prominent models views on weight and beauty are slowly starting to change and the introduction of BMI testing will help in this area. However, this is still an industry where unrealistic expectations of "beauty" abound. You have to be very grounded within yourself to allow these comments to pass by you and not to affect you.

8) Internet & Fake Photographers - Unfortunately there are good photographers and then there are those who are in the photography industry for the wrong reasons. Numerous social networks such as OneModelPlace.com and ModelMayhem.com, MySpace, Facebook etc can offer a world of networking opportunities of good and bad. When contacted by a photographer you've never heard of, It's always important to do background checks and to message any models or references the photographer has worked with.

Googling the photographer is a good place to start. If he owns a studio, make sure to see if you can trace it on Google Maps and if it helps, try the 'Street View' feature to see if the studio even exists. Always take a chaperone with you to photo shoots. If the photographer doesn't want a chaperone present then something is wrong. Find another person to shoot you. If still wanting to find out if the photographer is legit, you can use White Pages Reverse Phone lookup to find more details on the phone number he provided you and at worst case, try IntegraScan.com for really "in-depth" information on the photographer you're about to work with. Safety always comes first. No one wants to be a statistic!

Tips For Anyone Starting Out

-ALWAYS request for a model release contract when working with any photographer. Model release grants permission for the photography to publish your photos in one way or another. By not signing a release, lawsuits can take place and trouble can stir especially if a photographer releases implied or artistic nude photos without your approval. Such photos can then stir more trouble and spread through the internet and can damage one's career, chance to get hired on for a new job, etc.

-Learn your poses - Learning the best poses for your photos comes with experience in doing photo shoots time after time. Another great tip is to pose in front of a mirror and find what poses you personally feel confident doing. A great book to buy for references is 'Guide to Posing the Female Body' available on ShopOmp.com

Modeling can certainly be a rewarding experience in many ways. As long as you avoid the darker side to this profession and insist on putting your personal values first (before profit) then you can enjoy quite an interesting career path. It is also good to remember that this is a job and you will work HARD to earn your money. Long hours, jet lag, heavy makeup, weird haircuts and standing forever in awkward poses are all part of this exciting profession.

Behind the Scenes Footage: Photographer Rudy Triana

2009-09-15T06:07:00.008-04:00

It's been a few months since i've updated my blog. Busy photographer! ( LOL ) But I do promise to keep this blog more updated with fresh new content & footage.

Decided to share some behind the scenes footage of a recent glamour photo shoot I did on September 4th (Friday) taken with models Andy & Gabbi at Indigo Room (Downtown Fort Myers, Florida) featuring my favorite makeup artist to work with, Barbie Mercedes.

Digitally Sign your Model Release on the Fly - RightSignature.com

2009-06-01T09:30:00.010-04:00

For every photo shoot, a photographer and model offer a Model Release contract. A contract agreement between the model and photographer that allows permissions to use and post the photos onto the web.

In this case, signatures are necessary to approve any contract. The burden in this is the days and weeks it can take to sometimes have a model sign my model release contract. Sometimes clients become so occupied that the signature delay can result in days, weeks and even months depending on the client.

As a busy photographer, I finally found the ultimate solution to where I can simply upload a contract and collect digital signatures from the involved parties or clients to complete legally binding agreements.

RightSignature.com is a "Web 2.0" website that makes it simple to get documents signed online. The best part is you can even do it right from your iPhone!

How can RightSignature.com help you as a business?

Save Time! - Get your documents or model releases signed in minutes, not days. No more waiting.
Increase Response Rates - You'll discover a higher percentage of contracts get signed and forms get returned when you use RightSignature. Busy recipients prefer signing documents with a few clicks, and they do it right away. No more contracts forgotten on cluttered desks.
Cut Expenses - Slash your overnight shipping bills. Use less fax ink and paper. Trees will thank you!
Safe & Secure - Documents and signatures are organized and stored on a secure server. No more overstuffed filing cabinets.
Legally Binding - RightSignature's authentication and security technology is fully compliant with U.S and E.U. directives, ensuring that digital signatures are legally valid and binding
Very Easy To Use - Completely web-based. No software to install. Takes 1 minute to learn. You can upload your .pdf and .doc files.

Writer: Rudy Triana

Credits: www.RightSignature.com

Photograpy Rental: Best Website for Photography Rentals

2009-04-29T12:20:00.004-04:00

Living in Florida, and seeing the number of Ritz Camera stores closing down , coming by photography resources are becoming even more limited.

Here in Florida, we don't have a "B&H Photo and Video Store" so most of our equipment has to be purchased through the internet.

If you ever wanted to try out a lens, or perhaps try out a new light kit that has raving reviews, it always helps to try out equipment before actually purchasing it.

Introducing: TheLensDepot.com

I came across this site googling around and I've never been so satisfied. The Lens Depot features a vast array of equipment for incredibly reasonable prices, and they've always been so quick to ship the items out. Ordered a 70-200mm 2.8L Lens on a Saturday morning , and the next early afternoon it was at my door.

For the price, they also offer a reasonable amount of time to try the equipment out. They start your rental period the day the item is received. Very prompt customer service -- If you have a question on a specific item, they're always prompt in responding back with an answer.

For any photographers who are low on budget and need that commercial grade lens, cameras or lighting, Lens Depot is the site to visit. With one week to use the equipment, you can get alot of projects and bookings in that amount of time and not have to invest thousands of dollars all at once. This is a great alternative for those who don't have $1,500 to pocket for a high quality lens.

--Try them out today, you won't be dissapointed.

Written By: Rudy Triana

Stolen Camera? Find Your Stolen Camera (Hopefully) with this website

2009-01-27T22:00:00.003-05:00

A new way to help identify stolen gear!

RegisterYourCamera.com is a free online service for registering your photographic equipment and the brainchild of former Intel software engineer who is an avid photographer. If someone steals your camera, simply enter the serial number and a description of your gear into the online database and your done. When someone performs a quick serial number search against the database, your item will then be listed as stolen and the person doing the search may then contact you via your preferred method. Get enough people using this and you have very effective way of track missing gear.

This is a terrific new path forward in finding lost or stolen photography gear. It's dreadful as a photographer having someone steal a camera you invested thousands of dollars into and sacrificed so much for. For many, losing a camera is losing an entire hobby. Hopefully the next thing they'll invent is a GPS tracker for our cameras ....(sigh)

Blog By: Rudy Triana

Max Focus Photography: Stella Vidal Photoshoot

2009-01-13T15:36:00.006-05:00

Taking on the exciting adventure of traveling over to my hometown of Miami, I took upon an exciting concept and theme with recreating a black & white "Audrey Hepburn" themed photo shoot with latin model, Stella Vidal . As I reviewed stella's portfolio I was truly stunned with the resemblance between her and Audrey Hepburn and decided to take upon this exciting opportunity in recreating the classical themed concept.

Recreating this concept required all the right elements between props, styling, editing and following several techniques myself with lighting and even talking to Audrey Hepburn's original photographers over the phone to get ideas.

Coming across two talented prop providers and stylists Jamie and Jenna DeBrino of Hot Pink inc. , we combined the elements all together to recreate the legendary styles of Audrey Hepburn.

Working with Stella Vidal was enjoyable and I highly recommend this model for any agency or company on the hunt for looking for models who are good at acting and being versatile in any concept. Stella Vidal also has also had collaborations in working for Telemundo's Nitido, MiamiHoyTV.com, CaribeVision and also can be found playing for Miami Caliente at the Lingerie Football League. A model with attitude and determination!

Stella Vidal On MySpace.com
www.myspace.com/colombiangodss

Styling By: Hot Pink Inc.
www.myspace.com/jjhotpink

Photography By:
Rudy Triana (Max Focus Photography)
www.myspace.com/MaxFocusPhotography

A Futuristic Way To Promote Your Photography Business

2008-09-14T02:28:00.009-04:00

If you've ever thought of promoting your photography business in a new unique and futuristic way, then you've come to the right place...

Ever wish you could give a client your business card and the business card could command their computers to load your photography website? Showing off your latest works with style?

Introducing TIKITAG. Tikitag is a new service that allows you to place "UPC Stickers" aka "RFID" on anything and everything, commanding a computjavascript:void(0)er to load a website, a photo, a video, etc.

Video Sample of what Tikitag can do:

Be alerted that Tikitag can be allowed for multiple purposes other then promotion, but being a semi-geek and photography guru at the same time, it was an outlet I saw that was terrific for promoting my photography business in a futuristic and modern way with the ongoing advancements in internet and media technologies.

How can Tikitag benefit Photographers?

-Wedding Album Idea: You can place a Tikitag on a wedding album for instance, and the Tikitag can take your Wedding clients to a website of yours that offers coupons on shoots, or it can take them to a Virtual Photo Album of their wedding on the web. Sky is the limit

-Lost Photography Equipment: Tikitags could possibly be used to allow for people to trace you down incase you misplaced or lost your equipment while traveling. Tikitag can be used to take them to a website with your contact information.

-Increase pageviews and visits to your photography site by placing Tikitags on your photo and wedding albums, business cards, art canvas, paintings and more.

-Tikitags are very compatible with cell phones and iPhones. You can literally "scan" your iPhone over a Tikitag . Therefore, your client doesn't always have to be at a computer. They can view your website from their phones scanning their phone over a Tikitag on your business card for instance.

-Online Photo Services: It won't surprise me to find that Tikitags may have a huge compatability for you to send your clients over to web portfolio sites such as Flickr, Photobucket, Panoramio or Google Image Search.

Well, what was thought to be nearly impossible is now a reality, and this new technology will be available as October 1, 2008.

Written By: Rudy Triana
Site Credit: www.tikitag.com

Image Sharpen: Best and most effective way to sharpen your images

2008-09-14T01:32:00.007-04:00

I recently came across a five-star rated plug-in for Adobe Photoshop that allows for photographers to bring out the best detail and sharpen their JPG images as well as their RAW formatted images.
Nik Software's Sharpener Pro 3.0 is a highly recommend plugin that is soaring rave reviews in image sharpening and image enhancing.

Sharpener Pro 3.0 is the most advanced and powerful sharpening solution for photographers, eliminating the guesswork typically required for achieving superior printed results while providing the most control possible.

What I liked most about Sharpener 3.0:

Simply the most unique and powerful image editing technology available today, U Point powered controls allow you to precisely control sharpness and detail selectively within an image without the need for complicated selections or layer masks. Enhancements are automatically and naturally blended throughout your image for spectacular results. Basically I can select SPECIFIC parts of the image and sharpen the specific parts of the image that I want instead of having to Sharpen the entire image at once.

Powerful new creative sharpening tools enable you to enhance subtle details and textures that are hidden with an image. When selectively applied using Control Points these tools enable you to draw attention to key areas within your images.

The updated RAW Presharpener feature retains and enhances sharp details within images without amplifying noise and artifacts. RAW Presharpener compensates for the potential loss of clarity and detail caused through digital capture or digital noise reduction techniques.

Designed to sharpen based on proven loss of detail caused by different output methods and devices, the Output Sharpener filter provides the optimum controls for creating perfectly sharpened images for such devices as display, inkjet, continuous tone, half tone, and hybrid print devices.

Saves time in the photographic workflow by saving custom settings in the Output Sharpener for repeatable, professional results.

The Selective Tool allows you to brush any Sharpener Pro 3.0 filter enhancement into your image using Photoshop’s brush tools. Layers and masks are created automatically, enabling you to quickly and easily apply any filter with painterly precision.

The completely updated and reworked interface in Sharpener Pro 3.0 feature key controls placed conveniently on the right side of your image workspace for fast and consistent access. Also a Navigator Loupe provides a quick 100% view and navigation view, saved settings, and a resizable user interface help speed your workflow.

Sharpener Pro 3.0 is compatible with Adobe Photoshop Smart Objects which permits you to fine-tune enhancements even after they’ve been applied.

Sharpener Pro 3.0 is compatible with Apple Aperture’s ability to work on multiple images at once. When more than one image is opened, "Previous" and "Next" buttons appear that allow photographers to easily sharpen several images quickly.

This fascinating plugin is a bit costly, but you're more than welcome to downloading a 15-day free trial version beforehand to test it out and see how you like it for your imaging workflow.
Another thing that's terrific is that if for any reason you are disatisfied with this product (which is difficult to believe being NikSoftware produces possibly the best plugins on the photoshop plugin market), they offer a 30-Day money back guarantee.

Download a free Trial version to use Sharpener Pro 3.0 on your own images for 15-days, or click here to see the software in action on their website.

Written By: Rudy Triana
Site Credit: https://www.niksoftware.com/sharpenerpro/usa/
Photo Credit: Simon Lisa Thomas

Photographers Image Piracy Protection: Track down who's stealing YOUR images with PixID!

2008-09-08T12:22:00.025-04:00

Photographers, now you can track down who's using your images illegally!

Ever wanted to track down who else may be using or manipulating YOUR images on the web? With image piracy rampant on the web these days, I've settled down to search down and find any service that may be of help.

I came across this fascinating new Image Search Engine called TinEye (www.tineye.com)

TinEye is the first image search engine on the web to use image identification technology. Given an image to search for, TinEye tells you where and how that image appears all over the web—even if it has been modified. It reads the pixels in an image and scans the entire web and lets you know precisely if this image is on any other websites or domains. A good tool to use to find if anyone is using your images illegally.

Even if your images have been modified, TinEye uses a special image identification method to finding multiple instances of one image.

Don't want to search manually? NO PROBLEM. You're more than welcome to use their automatic image finding service called PixID.

(click to enlarge)

PixID is a comprehensive, automated image monitoring service that uses advanced image identification algorithms to identify where your images are being used in print publications and the Internet.

Don't even assume you are safe with watermarking your images....

As an experienced photoshop guru myself, I can easily use Adobe Photoshop and the clone tool and remove a watermark off of an image. Now is the time to protect your business and trace down corrupted image pirates.

Benefits of Tracking with PixID

Accurately identify every image usage
Recover license revenues from unaccounted image use
Track authorized and exclusive image use
Uncover unauthorized image use
Verify image license compliance
Automate the billing process
Introduce accountability to your distribution relationships
Streamline royalty disbursements to your photographers
Determine ROI and highlight opportunities for increased sales in new markets
Back up content purchasing decisions with solid, market–relevant data

Written By: Rudy Triana
Credited Sites: www.tineye.com & http://ideeinc.com/products/pixid/

CGI Photography: Computer Effects & Photos Combined Into One

2008-09-07T21:40:00.011-04:00

CGI Photography is a form of combining computer-generated imagery with real-life still subjects and sceneries. Combining composited images and mixing them together has been a tradition that has been around for decades in the photography industry but now the world of image compositing is changing with the advancements in graphic design software & higher-resolution imagery produced by high-end digital cameras.

What software do I need to produce CGI?
Computer software such as 3ds Max, Blender, LightWave 3D, Maya and Softimage XSI is used to make computer-generated imagery for movies, photography etc.

This style of photography can be beneficial in infinite ways. How you ask? Budget costs is one. You no longer have to fly in a product from across the world just to take a picture of it for commercial use or advertising, it can now be drawn and rendered from a computer and can look so real nobody could tell the difference if it's computer generated or not.

What kind of effects can I produce? Well imagine having the luxury of not having to wait for sunlight or night-time. Light simulation is one effect that now can be produced by 3D software such as these concepts shown below:

(dark room effect)

(light room effect)

How can CGI be used with female models? Combining CGI and still subjects is tricky. The important elements when combining both together is LIGHTING. How the light hits your subject is what will determine the kind of scenery you will produce within the 3D program to create the background scene for your subject.

You don't want to take a picture of the model in tungsten lighting and then try to add her into a background that contains flourescent lighting, it just won't mix together and the realism won't look as great.

Below is an early draft (not completed) image of some of my CGI works and combining real-life models with CGI generated scenarios.

(Model Credit: Nicole Kolba)

Some of you may ask, is it easy? It definitely takes several years of photoshop and 3D software experience to produce succesful effects such as shown above. Personally I feel CGI Photography will be the next big wave for decades to come. It's already used for Commercial Photography all the time but I have stepped out of the box and attempted to use it in other various aspects.

If interested in learning CGI, I highly recommend downloading the trial version of 3DsMax, available at: AutoDesk.com . This is a skill that can take many months to years to learn, so take the time to learn the applications involved in CGI and 3D production and you will be on your way to creating succesful CGI-Photographs.

Written By: Rudy Triana

Photography 2.0 --- Web 2.0 Trendy Websites For Photographers

2008-08-31T11:53:00.047-04:00

The term "Web 2.0" simply is a new trend and advancements in the world wide web such as social networking, websites that simplify common day tasks, websites that simplify search, and encompasses technologies such as "wiki's" and blogs, photos, music and more. Technologies now at day are become more mobile and web-based, therefore comes the term "Web 2.0"

How this benefits photographers? Quite simple. Times have changed for us and so has image editing and accessing our images on the go, creating slideshows, panorama's, and more. We're accustomed to editing our images and organizing them over applications that were once required to install either downloading the software from the web in an executable file, or buying the software at a retail store and later installing with a CD. Popular programs such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel X2, Adobe Lightroom Apple Aperture, and many others.

I'm loving the craze personally now where I can now edit my images by simply logging into a website and I have all the tools necessary all from one website. Being a traveler and always on the go, It's not realistic that I'll always be using the same computer to do my editing with at times, so using a web-based photo editor is the next solution for my photographic editing needs.

Secondly I enjoy having my images stored to a storage website where I can rest assure I don't have to invest in an external hard drive. (Great for low budget photographers), so now I can rely on file and photo storage services and I know my images will stay there for a lifetime.

So I've compiled a list below of the new websites that offer the ability for people to edit their images, create slideshows, store their images, crop photos, increase and decrease exposure, enhance colors, produce photo effects and more. Some photo editing websites are for serious photographers, others are for the general audience.

Web-Based Image Editors

WowAPic.com - Professional Photo Editing, Touchup & Restoration
wowApic makes it easy and convenient for you - to get professional photo editing services from the convenience of your home (computer)- be it enhancing and fixing your pictures to restoring old worn out pictures. WowApic also provides you with free and custom instant quotes, and directly transfer your photos from Flickr, photobucket, Picasa, facebook etc,.

Rsizr.com -Intelligent Image Resizing
Rsizr is a Flash application that lets you resize JPG, PNG, and GIF images on your computer. With rsizr, in addition to normal image rescaling and cropping, you can also resize images using a new image resizing algorithm called seam carving that tries to keep intact areas in your image that are richer in detail.

FlauntR.com - One Click Effects
flauntR is a free online photo editor and effects software. Apply 1000s of digital photo effects to your images with just one click. Get images directly from FlickR or your PC. Use the online photo album feature for photo storage, and access your albums online. Share your creations by email, edit pictures online for embedding on your web page and blog.

FixUpMyPic.com - Photo Improvement
FixUpMyPic is a web 2.0 tool that allows users to upload ordinary pics and have them “fixed” by a large professional staff. These pics are then sent back to the user, where they can be shared on any popular social network, personal blog or web site, or even printed and shared as gifts. This whole process is 100% free, and no registration is required.

Pixlr.com - Online Image Editor
Pixlr is a free online image editor, jump in and start edit, adjust, filter and much more.

PicJuice.com - Online Image Editor
With PicJuice you can easily edit your photos: resize, crop, rotate, flip and adjust contrast and color levels. After you have finished, click on the "Save" icon to download your photo.

FixPicture.com - Online Image Editor
It's the fastest way to resize and convert your pictures and images. You can apply rotation, and some effects like greyscale, sepia, blur, ... It's so simple, select your picture file, choose some process to apply, click on OK, and you'll be able to save the picture on your computer. Support all popular picture file formats (jpeg, tiff, png, gif, bmp, tga, ...) and camera RAW formats (crw, nef, raf, cr2, dng, ...). More than 400 formats supported.

Pic Resize - Online Image Editor
PicResize is and easy-to-use online picture editor. Just upload your picture and select from bunch of editing options.

Adobe Photoshop Express - Online Image Editor
You shot it — now do something to it. Make it pop. Make it impossible to ignore. Upload, sort, polish, and store up to 2GB of photos. All for free. Resize, tint, distort, and more — add your mark to all your images. Then show them off on Adobe® Photoshop® Express or your Facebook page.

Pic2Color.com - Recolor Your Graphics
Creates breath-taking color schemes from images effortlessly -Seamless integration with GenoPal Online for individual color exploration -Easy HTML setup -FREE!

SumoPaint.com - Image Editing in the Browser
Sumopaint is a free image editing software that gives you the opportunity to create, open and edit images online. The final image can be saved to your account online or to your local computer.
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Miscellaneous Photo Services

PicArtia.com - Create your Photo Mosaic Online
Easily turn your pictures into impressive photo mosaic posters.

PicsViewr.com - Better Ways to Showcase your Flickr Photos
Picsviewr is an application for Flickr users wanting to showcase their photos in a different way. It proposes 8 different templates (some written in Flash, others in HTML/JS) to suit Flickr user needs.

ImageKind.com - Sell your Art Online
ImageKind is a unique free community that provides a print-on-demand marketplace for digital artists, photographers and painters to sell their work. It's fun and free! Expand your market! Turn your digital photos or other digital files into fine art and wall decor!

ImageChef.com - Express yourself. Instantly.
With ImageChef anyone can create a custom image without any technical knowledge or advanced tools. Modify text in a variety of image templates to create professional quality images with your own personal touch.

Twins-solutions.com - 3D Image Management System
Visions is an innovative 3D image management system (3DIMS) which allows you to navigate through your photos in a 3D (three dimensional) world. This way you can view your folders as a collection of boards spread on your screen, allowing you to easily perform cross folder actions such as moving photos from one folder to another, comparing two folders or simply viewing photos from several folders at the same time.

Qollage.com - Your Photos, Your Way
Qollage lets users create digital qollages by adding photos, video, text, audio and maps. Users can also insert images from SmugMug or Flickr, video from YouTube, Vimeo, Hulu, etc. then share their qollages with friends and family.

Make3D - Convert your Image into 3D Model
Make3D converts your single picture into a 3-D model. It takes a two-dimensional image and creates a three-dimensional "fly around" model, giving the viewers access to the scene's depth and a range of points of view.

Reshade.com - Enlarge Images Maintaining Quality
With Reshade you can resize images online or offline maintaining image quality (edge and texture). If you've ever wanted to have a picture as a wallpaper and it didn't fit, or maybe create an avatar from a part of an image, you might find reshade very helpful.

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Photo & File Storage

fileqube.com - Free Online Storage
File Qube is free and user friendly file hosting. The service available to everybody, who needs to easily and quickly upload large files for further temporary storage and download. The process is simple: choose a file to upload, click upload button and share your download link.

FreeDrive.com - Online Storage and Social Utility
FreeDrive is a personal storage and file sharing service designed for users of social networks, such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. With just a single FreeDrive account, users can access both their own files and their friend's files from within any social network they happen to be on.

FileDropper.com - Simple File Hosting
Just upload your file ans share your personal link. 5GB limit.

MyDataBus.com - Online File Storage
Free online file storage and file sharing for College students and Faculty by myDataBus. The free service allows you to transfer, store, browse, retrieve and share documents, photos, music and videos on any desktop or laptop

Written By: Rudy Triana

Microsoft Photosynth: Reconstruct Photos Into 3D Environment

2008-08-28T17:54:00.004-04:00

Just this month Microsoft has finally released it's first anticipated photographic technology, Microsoft Photosynth, now available on: Photosynth.com . Microsoft Photosynth takes and compiles your photographs and reconfigures it all into a panoramic 3D environment that you can then later navigate at 180-360 degrees.

Credit:Photosynth.com

(Click Above To View Video On How Photosynth Works)

Now the power of creating powerful stunning 3D panorama's of any scenery possible lies in everyone's hands and the results are stunning. Simply by taking pictures 360 degrees around you, Microsoft Photosynth gathers the data of all of your photos and restitches them back together allowing you to later navigate your photos as a 3D scene or world.

This benefits photographers in many ways, such as giving clients the ability to navigate your wedding shots in 360 degrees, navigating an entire courtyard, and viewing exotic locations such as Taj Majal or European trips. The possibilities are endless!

Visit the site today and sign up free and give it a whirl! www.photosynth.com

Written By: Rudy Triana

Canon 50D: Canon's New Best Bang For The Buck

2008-08-26T14:06:00.007-04:00

I jumped out of my seat when I was randomly navigating through Canon's Website (www.canonusa.com) and noticed a new addition added into Canon's SLR Digital Camera Line , The new Canon EOS 50D! After reading the specs on this new model, it's well worth the investment for only a price range of $1,400*

(credit: Canon)

Features:
- 15.1 Megapixels
- ISO Range jumps from 3,200 to 12,800
- Improved Noise Reduction (especially if the ISO goes up that high, meaning Canon did their homework on how to reduce noise technology hopefully)
- Full Frame
- Digic 4 Processor Chip (Better Dust Repellant Sensor & improved color reproduction)
- HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface, for better compatability for showing images on high-resolution tv's, etc.)
- Improved Lens Characteristics for better Lens Vignetting
- New Creative Auto Mode (CA) with new options you can set such as "Blur the background"
- 3" Clear-View LCD Screen
- Live View Mode
- Face Detection

Well worth investing in for any photographer. Good competition is going to brew here and i'm confident this won't be the only model out for release . Such as the rumored Canon 5D Mark II.
Stay tuned!

Written by: Rudy Triana

Promote Your Photography Business The Mobile Way: Mobile Listings

2008-08-26T01:49:00.007-04:00

Just years ago, the true way of advertising was submitting an ad into Yellowbook booklets, putting an ad in the local newspapers, magazines, and every paper format out there.

With the ongoing advancements with promoting your photography business via the web, there's so much with the web to learn. You have to submit your site to search engines, you have to add your website to directories, and the list goes on.

Now it's proven to be that 30% of consumers are using their cell phones to navigate the web, answer E-Mails, and doing all of their tasks through the cell phone. With the advancements in phone technologies such as the Apple iPhone & Blackberry, I found it very essential and important for photographers to slowly start transitioning and creating mobile compatible websites for the web.

A great service I came across was Schmap. Schmap allows you to paste a code onto your existing website to make your website iPhone compatible. Alot of the flash-based websites and modern layouts just aren't compatible for the iPhone's as of yet, so the best solution I found was placing a "Schmap" code onto your website.

You can use this page to get a small piece of invisible code for your website - this will detect visitors with iPhones and give them an easy way to find your location on a map, call you up, or send you an email. It's just that simple.

In conclusion, this is what your listing will look like and it only takes 2 minutes to fill out a form on Schmap.com and paste a code into the index of your website.

Written By: Rudy Triana

Photographer Booking Software: GenBook.com (A Photographer's Dream)

2008-08-23T23:45:00.012-04:00

For years i've always been in the struggle of being overwhelmed by people sending inquiries via E-Mail (time consuming) and answering phone calls back to back concerning models or clients interested in booking a shoot. Alot of those messages result as "cold" messages. Clients surely become interested, but E-Mail is passive and your likely to get the shy clients, or the one's who truly dislike typing so much, therefore resulting in a lost opportunity for both the client or the photographer.

We all know when clients contact us via E-Mail , it can be very unorganized and things can get messed up between scheduling or major miscommunication about scheduling can occur over E-Mail. However, after E-Mail , a phone call is made to the client, but even then, it's very time consuming with having to ask the client numerous and essential questions to make sure everything works out just right.

So I came across a solution...

(click for preview of my booking page)

Just recently I came across a website that allows for people to click on a button (as shown above) and sends them to a window to select the date and time to book their shoot. They make a few clicks and the hard work is done for you! A fascinating website called GenBook.

It's free to sign up and it makes calling the client fast, simple and easy. You can state your rates on your GenBook scheduler for your clients to see, and if they are interested, they will click and book their shoot by clicking a link and inputting the time and day they'd like your services.

Interested in seeing a preview?
Click Here To View My Booking Page

You can also upgrade to their "Standard" edition and you can have your clients pay with their credit cards right from your booking page of you're willing to pay $39.95 a month.
Fast, easy and simple service I highly recommend for every photographer out there!

Visit: www.genbook.com

Written By: Rudy Triana

Port Charlotte & North Port Photography [Florida]

2008-08-03T09:04:00.003-04:00

Looking for Glamour or Wedding Photographers in Port Charlotte or North Port?
With the ongoing developments in business and expansions in the Port Charlotte & North Port areas, there is now photography available right around the corner.

We specialize in Engagement Photography, Wedding Photography, Executive Headshots, Commercial Photography, Glamour & Fashion Photography & Swimsuit Photography.

Please visit us at:
www.maxfocusphotography.com

or visit us on MySpace.com: www.myspace.com/MaxFocusPhotography

Max Focus Photography: Photoshoot with Nicole Kolba

2008-07-23T21:04:00.000-04:00

I would like to introduce one of Port Charlotte's most outstanding models, Nicole Kolba. A very confident and positive girl with such great modeling potential and is relatively new to the modeling industry. At just 19, Nicole Kolba has shot with various photographers throughout Florida such as myself and is at a good launch and path to becoming someone capable of making it into glamour or swimsuit magazines.

Nicole Kolba is also very good at taking direction and is very imaginative and creative with poses. Her first shoot was in a stairwell to her apartment complex and I was amazed to have seen she created and thought up over 300 various poses that has complimented her own portfolio of images incredibly.

Above are various images taken from behind the scenes of our photo shoot.
To preview more and view more of Nicole Kolba's shoots , visit us at our website or add us on MySpace.com to view our works with other models as well.

Website: www.maxfocusphotography.com
MySpace: www.myspace.com/MaxFocusPhotography