Welcome to our first issue of WPPI Online! Each month we'll bring you a series of short tips to help you fine-tune your creative, photographic, business and marketing skills. Each tip is a short stand-alone idea written by some of the finest photographers and manufacturers in our industry.

The design of the newsletter is meant to be very direct and simple. No fluff, just good information. At the beginning of each newsletter there will always be a list of the month's topics, giving you a quick overview in minimal time with minimal clutter.

WPPI Online is possible thanks to the support of some wonderful friends and our sponsors listed below. The common denominator is everyone's solid dedication to education and their constant drive to help us create the ultimate image!

Getting the "Max" from your JPEGs Working in Painter or Photoshop Metering is tougher with digital An added benefit when working with digital SLRs A new perspective on medium format Arms of the bride Do you know what type of ink you're using?

Backing up digital files Creating a more perfect print Time to create a business plan Building a referral-based business Hand-coloring for quality Expanding your photographic vision Making the right choice for a digital camera

(click on the title of the tips below to view a web page with more detailed information)

Getting the "Max" from your JPEGs - Burrell Professional Labs
Shooting in JPEG is fast and efficient, however, each time you open and save changes to a JPEG image you'll experience a progressive loss of quality. Every resaving of a JPEG file causes block distortion, compressed color spaces and a general lack of detail quality.

When a JPEG is converted to a TIFF (note - for best image quality, capture in RAW or TIFF) it goes through one expansion of the compressed file, allowing you to open, manipulate, save and reopen without a loss of image quality.

Working in Painter or Photoshop - Helen Yancy
Whether working in Photoshop or Painter, photographers too often make changes on the core image rather than taking advantage of working in layers. Whether you're doing minor retouching or creating a totally unique fine art image, do your changes on each layer. It will take you the same amount of time and in the end you'll have better control over the process. Plus, you always have the ability to keep moving back and forth between the layers and the core image, giving you a much better tool with which to judge the quality of the changes you've made.

There are no shortcuts to producing a quality fine art print or to exceeding your client's expectations.

Metering is tougher with digital - Minolta Corporation
Shooting digital or HDTV? If you're not already using a spot meter, it's time to get it out of your bag or start looking for a good one. Why? You don't have any latitude! The range is approximately 5 stops, about the same as chrome film. And, digital and HDTV are not very forgiving on the top end. You need a good one degree spot meter to read highlight and shadow areas and determine if you need to add or subtract light to get the shot.

The Minolta Flash Meter VI's latitude display really simplifies the process. Remember, you can't fix overexposure in Photoshop.

An added benefit when working with digital SLRs - Claude Jodoin
Digital SLRs based on 35mm, e.g. Canon 10D, D60, Fuji S2 and Nikon D100, use imagers about the size of APS film. There is a crop factor of 1.5 to 1.7 in the captured image, reducing the angle of view for all 35mm lenses vs. 35mm film.

Now an inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 lens makes a great portrait lens for window light and selective focus portraits at f/2-2.8. This lens is VERY sharp at f/4 and has about the same view as a traditional 150mm medium format portrait lens.

Shorter lenses have greater depth of field (DOF). You can now target f/5.6 for most photographs rather than the traditional f/11 for medium format with the same approximate DOF. This 2-stop gain means flash power requirements have been cut by a factor of 4, Batteries last four times longer and backgrounds are 2 stops brighter.

A new perspective on medium format - Hasselblad USA
When silver halide was the photographer's only option, the benefits of medium format cameras were better known and for the most part accepted without question. But that was then and this is now.

Though an analog, silver halide workflow remains well entrenched in certain photo segments; hybrid scanning and pure digital workflows are now acceptable and sometimes preferred alternatives. With the complex and varied choices facing photographers today, where do medium format cameras fit into the equation?

The answer ultimately depends on the type of product being produced. Whether low-volume, large format prints; high-volume, small format prints; hi-res digital files on CD or low-res files for the web; or any combination thereof, there are nearly as many different products produced as there are niches within the photo industry. For each there is an ideal workflow and the right capture tool for the job.

Arms of the bride - Don Blair It's natural for the bride to hold her flowers up high, simply because it feels right. However, the challenge is the "carpenter's T-square" and harsh angles in the photograph. (image 1) Add a little elegance to the image by 1) lowering the flowers below the waist 2) Let the hand farthest away from the main light or closest to the background hold the flowers making the hand closest to the camera the "show" hand. (image 2)

Do you know what type of ink you're using? - Ilford
Did you know desktop inkjet printers use either dye-based or pigment-based inks? It's important to know in order to determine paper compatibility! The vast majority of desktop inkjet printers use dye-based inks. The new "instant dry" type inkjet photo papers that use microceramic technology may be used with dye or pigment inks. Polymer inkjet photo papers use a receiving layer designed specifically for dye-based inks and will not work with pigment ink printers. If you have a pigment-based printer such as the Epson STYLUS Photo 2200, 2000P or Epson C70, C80 or C82 printers, be sure to choose a paper that has a coating that's compatible with pigment ink. For the best photographic results, check the paper box or pack to determine compatibility.

Backing up digital files - Bambi Cantrell
Develop an obsession to back up everything you shoot. 1) Number your flash cards, 2) Keep them in order so you always know which one is already used and which one is next in line, 3) Do your back-up right at the event as you're shooting. Don't wait until you get home or back to your studio. When you're in the trenches it is so easy to get lazy. Digital is an incredible tool, but it's only as good as your self-discipline. The new technology has given us a new level of artistic ability, but with that control also comes ownership of the process. There's nobody to pass the buck to when you lose an important image!

Creating a more perfect print - John Sexton As you can see in the straight print (left image), even with the use of a contrast-reducing "compensating" developing procedure, the highlights are still intensely bright. To try and recreate the reality of the scene, I employed considerable burning-in, as well as flashing. The seven-story structure on the right side of the image is illuminated by ambient light bounced from the coal conveyors, as well as a few utility lights at the base of the structure. The straight print reveals an uneven mottle on the face of the building that closely resembles an artifact of uneven film development. This effect is caused by the irregular surface of the corrugated metal and is further exaggerated by the low angle illumination. To minimize this unevenness, I employed substantial dodging and burning, utilizing variable-contrast paper and low-contrast filtration. Working carefully with a small brush, I applied a dilute potassium ferricyanide bleach solution to further smooth th! e face of the building. The complex combination of procedures make this negative very challenging to print!

Time to create a business plan - Buckeye Color Lab
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! Do you know how much an 8x10 really costs your studio? Is your business profitable? When was the last time you looked at or developed a marketing plan?
One of the most significant decisions you can make in your business is to create a cohesive business plan. Think about 1) Where you are in the growth of your business? 2) Where do you want to be 3-5 years from now? 3) What do you need to do to get there?

Not having a long-term marketing plan is like building a house without a blueprint. A good lab can help you develop a stronger understanding of the correlation between marketing and profitability. First class marketing products and services at discounted rates are a key to your success.

Building a referral-based business - Doug Box
Photographers often talk about word-of-mouth business. But, there's a big difference between word-of-mouth and referral-based business. It is "what you do with the referral." Here are some tips to build a stronger referral-based business: 1) Start by sending a thank you note to the client. Make it feel personal and good enough to have been sent to a friend or neighbor. 2) Keep track of who referred each client and who each client refers. 3) Once you've built up a running list of clients who sent you referrals, do something nice for them!

At the end of the whole process, if you intend to keep the referrals coming, remember three words: relationship, trust and expectations. You have to be likable and build the relationship. The client has to have trust in you and your work. You have to exceed their expectations!

Hand-coloring for quality - Jill Enfield
When hand-coloring, in spite of what you might have read, you do not need to coat the print with any special material. People have told me they thought they needed to put down a special solution to make the paper oilier. When bringing in isolated spots of color to a black and white print I work directly on the print, no pre-coating. You only need to put down an extra coating in an area you're working on, if the color isn't spreading.

When it comes to which paints to use, work with high quality paints, like Marshall Oils for example. I look for paints which are the most archival and have the heaviest concentration of pigment.

Expanding your photographic vision - Tony Corbell Most of us are at a point in our careers where we know exactly what to expect each time we set up a shot. At the same time, we've grown up believing you're either born with creativity or you're not. The reality is that creativity is in the eyes of the beholder. Your creativity is only as good as your vision. Expand your vision beyond the rules of composition and 1/125 @ f/8 and look beyond the obvious. Go back to your client, be it a wedding, a portrait or a commercial job, it doesn't matter. Pick out a half dozen of the best images and just stare at them for a few minutes. This is the professional's version of "Where's Waldo." How many different shots can you find simply by using a cropping guide, and more importantly, how many did you miss? Expand your vision with every image you create and your business will grow as fast as your portfolio!

Making the right choice for a digital camera - Tony Corbell Fujifilm USA Talent Team
When adding a digital camera to your arsenal of equipment consider more than just pixel count, size/weight and shooting speed. Take a look at some of the operational advantages, e.g. the ability to quickly switch color modes. For example, I like the ease of being able to quickly switch to the "partly cloudy color mode," which is similar to using an 81A or 81B warming filter on a traditional film camera. It takes me less than a second to make the switch. The end result is warmer and creates an image that looks different from my competition.