Photography Editing with Gimp: Levels Tutorial

Not every one has the cash for Adobe PhotoShop but if you want to get your Feet wet with Photo editing try Gimp...

Gimp Levels walk through step by step.



Having already installed gimp from

Whats for Lunch: Chicken Soft Taco

I don't usually take pictures of what I eat ... But today the Soft Taco just looked really colorful.

Taken with my Canon XTi and the Nifty-Fifty lens.

It's a Prime lens but was very inexpensive and has a great f/stop.

Free Photo Editing Software Gimp the Install

Not every one can afford Adobe's PhotoShop software for editing their Photo's when starting out and just testing the waters for amateur Photography. So why not try an opensource free software editing tool called Gimp.

Lets get started Video first then

Newborn Photo's

With the addition of a new member of the family there is no better way to remember than with pictures.










If at all possible to make every thing perfect my suggestion is to higher a professional photographer with in the first few days. But that is not always fesable. So take as many pictures of your own as you can to capture the moments.

Photography is Dirty Work

Photography is not always a clean venture. Sometimes it is a dirty job and requires you to get down, dirty, and in to the thick of it. Not always are we faced with a clean studio atmosphere with freshly washed faces, clean and happy babies, or momentous occasions like weddings.

For inspiration we may need to get the Gears turning, to get those creative juices flowing

Cala Lilly Flower Photography DOF (Depth of Field)

My wife was stuck back in the hospital again last week after the second surgery for Thyroid Cancer. Hopefully the Surgeon got it all this time. Not only is her re-occurrence of Cancer taxing on the family, but our littlest one decided a couple of weeks ago she needed to have appendicitis. So between the two of them I have gotten use to sleeping in hospital chairs.






Well family members always stop by when someone is in the hospital and usually give flowers. This is one of the Cala Lilly's that were dropped off. It has been awhile since I have taken any pictures so I felt it was time to do something.


Camera settings AV mode so I have control of the aperture. If I have not said it before (Will say it Now!!) I love my Nifty-Fifty!! with an 1.8 aperture setting I can get the blur and sharpness in all the right places. And it is great in most lighting situations. Even though it is a prime lens and requires a bit of getting use to if you are use to using zoom lenses.

"Dad will be in big trouble!!" Wedding Photo Flower Girl

Photography, Canon XTi, Nifty-Fifty, 50mm Prime lens, Wedding Photography, Child Portrait

As the title states .. As a father I will be in big trouble with this one .. can you see the horns holding up that halo??


The Nifty-Fifty Lens was the best 85$ I have spend for my XTi, it takes just absolutely amazing pictures with great depth of field.

Check out my Flickr

Blushing Bride Color or B/W??

Photography, canon XTi, Nifty-Fifty Photo Effects Black and White vs. color

As in the last post we recently attended a Wedding of a long time friend of the family. Photography is only a hobby of mine that I can do when spare time is available (like almost never).
Taking shots of everything and anything I can that day went through 3 1GB cards but when she turned her back on me I just had to take the shot .. and I had the right lens on at the right time what do you think? J.J. The back of her dress was stunning this is not to say the front was not stunning as well. captured with canon XTi nifty fifty glass at 1.8

Color or B/W with tint to age the photo?

"Its Not Time Yet Daddy" Flower Girl Wedding Photography

Photography, Canon XTi, Child Photography, Wedding Photography

Was a beautiful day for a Wedding a long time friend of the family is getting married, It was slightly over cast and perfect temperature for an outside ceremony. Of course I had my camera in hand ready to take pictures. Just minding my own business when my daughter (flower girl) and the little boy (ring bearer) she was walking down the isle with came strolling by arm in arm.
Seeing that I was taking practice shots, I caught this one with her telling me "It's not time yet Daddy!".



With out a second thought I replied "You are absolutely right Honey, It is not time. You have 20 or more years to go!"

This Photo is on Flickr as well.

DigiMateIII Cool Photography Gadget (Photo Storage)

Digital Photography gadgets, Digital Photography photo storage, DSLR backup storage, Digital Photography toys

Now this is one really cool little item I think every person that is in to photography should have in their arsenal of toys. Its the DigiMateIII it will accommodate a 2.5” hard drive (laptop hard drive) right now I have 60GB drive in there. It reads Compact Flash Card (CF) type I and type II, Secure Digital (SD), Memory Stick (MS/MS Pro/MS Duo, Multimedia Card (MMC), Micro Drive, Mini SD, and RS-MMC.

But that is not the best part, it has an internal battery that will run the hard drive out in the field and copy all of the photo's taken on that card to the hard drive. All with out wires, now that is cool. If you are out taking pictures on top of a mountain some where and you run out of space on your memory card just pop it in the DigiMateIII hit copy and now you can start shooting again.

It connects directly to your computer and can be used as a card reader as well as a back up for your pictures. It can also be uses like any portable hard drive for backups and the like.

There are a couple of items you will need to over come with this handy little gadget. First off you will need a hard drive and have the capabilities of installing it. This is not difficult at all in fact they give you instructions and a screw driver to ensure you get it installed right. Second you can not just plug it in to a Windows (XP) machine and format the new drive. Windows has limits on formating FAT32 will not do anything over 32GB if memory serves correctly. You will need a format utility, one should be easily found on www.download.com. Or you can try start menu / run / cmd this will open a command line box and type: format (your drive letter) /fs:fat32 but this did not work in my situation. Just another cool little item I use consistantly.

March of the Crunch Bell's Home Studio

Another off camera flash photography how to / diy with the CE's Photography off camera flash photography beginner

I don't claim to be a good photographer by any stretch of the imagination the only classes I have taken were back in High School and I will not say how long ago that was.

Just another Sunday, everybody's bumming around the house today the football games are on the boob tube, not really paying attention cause the Broncos are not in the playoffs.

I get an idea and run with it!

Poor little Crunch Bell's have been sitting in the

The perfect Digital SLR / Laptop Backpack

DSLR, dslr laptopb bag, dslr laptop backpack


Well I have come to find out it does not exist here where I can purchase it! So, that is not entirely true either, but after spending 2 weeks searching on the web and looking at the limited camera shops we have here locally I have settled with this one.

Label states Quantaray Pro by Nanue Pro,

Off Camera Flash Photography Beginner Setup (Cheap)

Poor Person's cheap Flash Photography Studio setup for beginners

I have been reading on Strobist web site for a while now. This is just a great site very informative when you want to move to off camera flash.
Like a lot of people that get in to photography, (ok maybe not that many, I'm sure there are more folks out there that just want to take good pictures) I have delusions of grandeur and would like to make millions and millions of dollars. (yeah, right like thats going to ever happen)
But that does not stop me from wanting to take better pictures. I was looking to possibly set up the off camera strobe system like the Strobist have suggested, but after doing some research on possible setups for this I came to the conclusion that right now it is just not fiscally possible. (damned expensive is what it is, got to remember, I've mentioned before I'm cheap.)
Even if I go with the Starving Student Kit from Midwest Photo Exchange that kit alone costs 199.00 $ plus shipping and still have to get the Ebay Triggers (shooting with the Canon 400D aka. XTi, no pc sync for external flash). So with shipping and every thing right there will cost more than aprox. 250.00 $ for just one light and umbrella.

Starting out green (Newbee) I need something very inexpensive and relatively flexible for what I want to do. At this moment in house photography, portraits, still life, and what ever I can do at home. I tried the Home Depot shop

Welcome To CE's Photography

I started this blogging because I am a geek at heart and need a place to keep all of my stuff that I will end up forgetting if I don't type or post it somewhere. This site is specifically for all of my Photography related inspirations. But my thoughts tend to go in a million different directions at any one time. At the moment I have jumped in to the realm of digital photography with a Canon XTi the 2 lenses that came with it and a “nifty fifty”.

Oh and by the way, If you do by some stretch of the imagination read any, some, or all of my posts (lord knows why you would want to.) you may come across those little bracket things ... That is just my inner voice chiming in (my rice krispies talk to me too)


and a flickr account as well just not using it so much ;)

Comments are always welcome. Wanted... on my hands and knees pleading for.. !!!