Happy New Year...a look ahead.

Happy New Year to you and your family. My best wishes on a healthy and blessed New Year for you.

As I reflect on 2006 and what was accomplished photographically, I am pleased in that I accomplished much of what I set out to do on this day one year ago. My first priority was an in-depth study of black and white photography in the digital age. My goal was to achieve high quality fine art black and white prints. I now believe I have achieved this goal as I am quite happy with the latest prints I am producing with the latest technologies.

I guess I will always consider myself a "student of photography." There is so much to learn, but through my study efforts and experimentation in 2006, I am much more focused on what I need to do in 2007. This year I will refine my personal vision and it will be focused exclusively on color photography as fine art. I have begun to study the works of recognized color photography artists and will also be contributing some of my own writing on the subject as the year progresses. This year will see less experimentation with still-life and architecture and really focus on our natural world. This is the environment in which I need to be creative...out in the forest...high on a ledge...paddling on a river...experiencing the quiet and power of nature and communing with God. This is where I should be concentrating my photographic vision.

I will be experimenting with some new image capture techniques that promises to bring the highest quality artwork possible today. I will share my experiences with you as I work through the learning curve on this process. It is a technique that world famous color photographer Joseph Holmes is currently engaged in. I have seen Joseph's prints utilizing these image capturing techniques and it is stunning. I am very excited about this endeavor and hope to have more information for you soon.

Photographic locations for 2007 are still undecided with the exception of the southern Florida trip in February. Possible locations for the year include Big Sur, CA, Zion N.P., Smokey Mountains N.P., Shenandoah N.P., Hocking Hills S.P. (Ohio), and as always the Monongehala National Forest in WV. I also hope to visit two locations at some point in the future to further my photographic education. One is the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, AZ and the other is the Art Museum on the Mall in Washington, D.C.

This year will also see a concentrated effort on building on-line content that enhances your enjoyment of fine art photography. I will continue to refine the content as well as the scope of the Podcasts and improve on the production quality as well. In addition, video productions will join the broadcast menu. The videoblogs will present a behind the scenes look at fine art production, on-location travelogs, interviews, portfolio presentations, and much more. I am very excited about this component and will also launch a new website dedicated to the broadcasts coming this year. I don't know exactly where the broadcasting venture will lead, but it looks to be very exciting.

As you can see, there is a lot coming in 2007. Whether you are a fine art photography student or a collector of fine art photography, my wish for you in 2007 is that you realize your creative goals. Please contact me if you have any questions or comments on these topics as I always welcome an engaging discussion on such matters. Thanks for your interest in Jeff Ball Photography and have a wonderful day!

Adobe Lightroom Podcast

For those who want to know what is happening with the development of Adobe Lightroom, please check out the latest Podcast from members of the development team. This is a look under the hood of Lightroom as it is approaching its official launch. Development team members discuss the various controls available in Lightroom and what can be expected in the final release. 50 min. in length.

Click here for a link to the podcast:

Film about "Father of Color Photography"

As I continue my studies of photography, 2007 looks to be one in which I delve deeper into the strict study of color photography. One of the most influential figures in the history of color photography is William Eggleston. He is of particular interest to me since my maternal grandparents had the surname Eggleston. I am currently reading one of Eggleston's books (William Eggleston's Guide) and also discovered that there is a movie scheduled for release about Eggleston and his life for this February titled "By the Ways." The story looks quite interesting and I look forward to seeing the film if it is released on a national basis. I look forward to my yearlong investment in color photography studies and invite you to join me on this journey as we discuss the craft of color photography.

We are...Marshall!

Today marks an historic day for my community and Alma mater. Last April, Hollywood came to Huntington, WV to begin telling the story of tragedy and survival. Today "We are...Marshall!" is released in theaters across the nation. The story is true and I believe will touch the hearts of all who see it. It is hard for me to be objective about the whole story so I won't offer a review of the movie here, but I can share with you that I believe the movie will touch your heart in a special way. In some ways, the movie helps to explain many Huntingtonians "can do" attitude in the face of what can be overwhelming odds to succeed given our economic misfortunes in the Appalachia region. Director McG has described the movie as one about tragedy and how a community deals with grieving and starts on a path toward survival and ultimately success. If you are looking for an uplifting movie this holiday season, I believe you will find this one will meet your needs. If you have a moment this holiday season, take in some cinematic art and view We are...Marshall!

more on the movie We are...Marshall!

HDR article at PopPhoto

I stumbled across a wonderful article on High Dynamic Range processing at PopPhoto. The article looks at the HDR function of Photoshop, but more importantly looks at the wonderful new program Photomatix and how it produces HDR and tone mapping. It even compares the two. My intial use of Photomatix has been extremely positive and I encourage you to take a look at the program for HDR and tone mapping. A definite must-read for anyone looking at the latest in photographic enhancement techniques.

To read the article please click here...