Sean Duggan Blog

The Stereo Camera

The Stereo Camera  [pinhole photograph]
early August, 2007, New Mexico
(click in the image for a larger version)

This was photographed last August in a slot canyon in New Mexico, but I just got around to scanning it, as well as others from this series, last week. This is from an ongoing series called Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin. All the images in this series are pinhole photographs made with a ZeroImage 6x9 multi-format camera. The selective sepia toning is all done in Photoshop. Click the Pinhole link on the right in the Categores section to see more from this series.

New Workshop, March 1-2:

If you live in California near Monterey, Santa Cruz, or the San Francisco Bay Area, then you may be interested in a new weekend class that has just been added to my schedule. I'll be teaching a 2-day version of my Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop workshop at the Monterey Adult School on March 1st and 2nd.

Other upcoming workshops will be offered in Delray Beach, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Los Osos, California. Check my Workshop page for a full schedule.

The Ledger

The Ledger  [pinhole photograph]
early October, 2007, Maine
(click in the image for a larger version)

This was photographed last October in Acadia National Park in Maine, but I just got around to scanning it, as well as others from this series, a few days ago. This is from an ongoing series called Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin. All the images in this series are pinhole photographs made with a ZeroImage 6x9 multi-format camera. The selective sepia toning is all done in Photoshop. Click the Pinhole link on the right in the Categores section to see more from this series.

New Workshop, March 1-2:

If you live in California near Monterey, Santa Cruz, or the San Francisco Bay Area, then you may be interested in a new weekend class that has just been added to my schedule. I'll be teaching a 2-day version of my Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop workshop at the Monterey Adult School on March 1st and 2nd.

Other upcoming workshops will be offered in Delray Beach, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Los Osos, California. Check my Workshop page for a full schedule.

The Eyeglasses on the Cliff

The Eyeglasses on the Cliff  [pinhole photograph]
early October, 2008, Maine
(click in the image for a larger version)

This was photographed last October in Acadia National Park in Maine, but I just got around to scanning it, as well as others from this series, a few days ago. This is from an on-going series called Artifacts of an Uncertain Origin. All the images in this series are pinhole photographs made with a ZeroImage 6x9 multi-format camera. The selective sepia toning is all done in Photoshop. Click the Pinhole link on the right in the Categores section to see more from this series.

New Workshop:

If you live in California near Monterey, Santa Cruz, or the San Francisco Bay Area, then you may be interested in a new weekend class that has just been added to my schedule. I'll be teaching a 2-day version of my Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop workshop at the Monterey Adult School on March 1st and 2nd.

Other upcoming workshops will be offered in Delray Beach Florida, Honolulu, Hawaii and Los Osos, California. Check my Workshop page for a full schedule.

The Red Dress and the Sea

The Red Dress and the Sea  [Canon 5D]
January, 2008

Today's image is a blend of three photographs: the red dress is from a shop window in Honolulu; the coastal photo is from Acadia National Park in Maine; and the top part of the sky above the hook is from another Maine image. This is a recent collage created specifically for a short session on Creative Collage that I taught at FOTOfusion last week in Delray Beach, Florida. I really like how this one turned out. I feel it has just the right amount of quiet surrealism that is necessary in a collage.

If you want to learn more about the technical and aesthetic considerations involved in creating multiple image collages, then I have a couple of workshops coming up this year that may be of interest to you:

For an in-depth exploration with plenty of time to work on your own images, the ideal class is a 5-day workshop called The Creative Collage with Adobe Photoshop CS3 that I'll be teaching June 2 - 6 at the excellent Lepp Institute of Digital Imaging on the central California coast near San Luis Obispo.  These classes tend to fill fast, especially at that time of year, so if you are interested in participating, click the class title for a link to the workshop's page at the Lepp Institute site. The computer lab at the Lepp Institute is really first rate, with fast Windows computers kitted out with dual monitors and Canon 5100 printers (as well as larger format printers adjacent to the main lab area). Tiered stadium seating ensures that everyone has a clear view of the main screen. I've taught there several times over the past five years and I always look forward to going back. It is truly one of the best digital lab facilities I've taught at.

If a shorter version of that class will fit your schedule better (or if you're hankering for an excuse to make a trip to Hawaii), then I'll be teaching a 2-day version at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in Honolulu on April 12 - 13. I'm re-working the syllabus for both versions of this class with new material that takes advantage of new features in Photoshop CS3. When I have that finished I'll post a link to it here. Stay tuned!

Dominoes

Dominoes  [Canon 5D]
Little Havana, Miami, Florida
Jan. 15, 2008
(click in the image for a larger version)

To compliment yesterday's cigar photo, here's another hand image from my sojourn last week to Miami's Little Havana.

PhotoshopSupport.com has posted an interview with Katrin Eismann about our new book, The Creative Digital Darkroom.

*Upcoming Workshops *

The Creative Digital Darkroom, March 17 -€“ 21 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in sunny south Florida. Based on my new book, this hands-on class is focused on exploring essential creative digital darkroom techniques for photographers. A couple of short photo field sessions will also be featured to practice critical exposure skills with digital SLR cameras. Click the course title above to learn more or to register for this class.

In mid April I'll be at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in Honolulu teaching three short courses on Selections and Masking in Photoshop CS3 (April 11), Creative Collage in Photoshop CS3 (April 12-13), and Camera Raw Workflow (April 14). Click the links to see a description and more information on registering for these classes.

Cuban

In the Cigar Factory  [Canon 5D]
Little Havana, Miami, Florida
Jan. 15, 2008
(click in the image for a larger version)

I'm back from a busy week at FOTOfusion in Delray Beach, Florida. And though the warm, tropical breezes and temperatures of the Sunshine State were nice, I'm very happy to  be home and looking out the window at the snow-frosted winter wonderland around our house here in the Sierra foothills. A soft, gentle snow has jut started falling as I write this.

This photo was taken in a small hand-rolled cigar factory and shop in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. I was tagging along on a walking tour/photo shoot of the area led by photographer Harrison Funk. This older gentleman came in and relaxed on the sofa to enjoy his cigar.

Many thanks to Scott Kelby for mentioning The Creative Digital Darkroom over at his blog today!

*Upcoming Workshops *

The Creative Digital Darkroom, March 17 -€“ 21 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in sunny south Florida. Based on my new book, this hands-on class is focused on exploring essential creative digital darkroom techniques for photographers. A couple of short photo field sessions will also be featured to practice critical exposure skills with digital SLR cameras. Click the course title above to learn more or to register for this class.

In mid April I'll be at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in Honolulu teaching three short courses on Selections and Masking in Photoshop CS3 (April 11), Creative Collage in Photoshop CS3 (April 12-13), and Camera Raw Workflow (April 14). Click the links to see a description and more information on registering for these classes.

Bass Harbor Head Light

Bass Harbor Head Light  [Canon 5D]
Acadia National Park, Maine
Oct 2, 2007
(click in the image for a larger version)

A couple of months ago I posted another image from this same day, but one that was taken later after the sun had set and a heavy fog had rolled in.

I hadn't really played with the sunny versions from this series yet, but a call for some Maine lighthouse images landed in my lap yesterday and so I found myself gathering up some of my lighthouse shots from that beautiful state.

This is a blend of two tripod-mounted raw exposures: one to hold detail in the sky and the far horizon, and the other for the lighthouse, rocks and foreground water. It is a manual blend done with layers and layer masks and not an HDR shot. I also added some of my Sepiaesque "seasoning" to this image. If you have The Creative Digital Darkroom book, the Sepiaesque technique is covered in Chapter 9 on pages 325 and 326. Click on the image of the layers palette to see a larger version.

FOTOfusion

I'll be heading to south Florida on Monday to do some classes and presentations at FOTOfusion, the annual photography and digital imaging festival put on by the Palm Beach Photographic Centre. I'll be doing two hands-on computer labs on Creative Collage with Photoshop CS3 and The Creative Digital Darkroom, as well as a presentation seminar on The Creative Digital Darkroom and some portfolio reviews. If you're attending, stop by one of my sessions and say hello!

*Upcoming Workshops *

The Creative Digital Darkroom, March 17 -€“ 21 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in sunny south Florida. Based on my new book, this hands-on class is focused on exploring essential creative digital darkroom techniques for photographers. Short photo field sessions will also be featured on some days to practice critical exposure skills with digital SLR cameras. Click the course title above to learn more or to register for this class.

In mid April I'll be at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in Honolulu teaching three short courses on Selections and Masking in Photoshop CS3 (April 11), Creative Collage in Photoshop CS3 (April 12-13), and Camera Raw Workflow (April 14). Click the links to see a description and more information on registering for these classes.

Metal-morphosis

Metal Workshop Floor [Canon 5D]
September 29, 2007
(click in the image for a larger version)

From earlier last Fall in Maine: This is the cluttered floor of an outdoor metal workshop where huge circular saw blades (and I do mean huge -- we're talking blades that are about 4 feet high) are cut into intricate silhouette shapes for outdoor garden displays. This pile of metal scraps are some of the leftovers.

*Upcoming Workshops *

The Creative Digital Darkroom, March 17 -€“ 21 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in sunny south Florida. Based on my new book, this hands-on class is focused on exploring essential creative digital darkroom techniques for photographers. Short photo field sessions will also be featured on some days to practice critical exposure skills with digital SLR cameras. Click the course title above to learn more or to register for this class.

In mid April I'll be at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in Honolulu teaching three short courses on Selections and Masking in Photoshop CS3 (April 11), Creative Collage in Photoshop CS3 (April 12-13), and Camera Raw Workflow (April 14). Click the links to see a description and more information on registering for these classes.

Deity

Deity  [Canon 5D]
July 30, 2007, Santa Fe, New Mexico
(click in the image for a larger version)

This was photographed in Santa  Fe this past summer while I was there teaching a class at the Santa Fe Workshops. It is a large carving representing the face of what I believe is a Hindu deity. As far as digital darkroom work, this is about as straight as it gets. The color original was converted to black and white in Lightroom and some minor overall contrast adjustments were added.

Best wishes for a wonderful new year to you!

*Upcoming Workshops *

The Creative Digital Darkroom, March 17 -€“ 21 at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre in sunny south Florida. Based on my new book, this hands-on class is focused on exploring essential creative digital darkroom techniques for photographers. Short photo field sessions will also be featured on some days to practice critical exposure skills with digital SLR cameras. Click the course title above to learn more or to register for this class.

In mid April I'll be at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa in Honolulu teaching three short courses on Selections and Masking in Photoshop CS3 (April 11), Creative Collage in Photoshop CS3 (April 12-13), and Camera Raw Workflow (April 14). Click the links to see a description and more information on registering for these classes.