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Pick any THREE different gifts
from the list below– worth up to $400! |
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Lensbaby 2.0 This is a modern-day version of a soft-focus lens with a twist—you can choose which part of your image to sharpen while letting the rest of it go soft. By manipulating a flexible piece of tubing in which a coated lens element is mounted, you can get visually exciting and other-worldly images that cannot be captured any other way. This isn't rocket science and you'll quickly get the hang of it, reveling in all the artistic effects you can achieve. Each aperture, from f/2.0 to f/8.0 gives a different effect. Lensbabies can be used with almost any dSLR camera with interchangeable lenses. Lensbaby |
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NIK: Dfine 2.0 Digital cameras can create electronic "noise" that you can see—grainy, speckled stuff that can show up when you shoot in low light and/or at high ISO speeds. DFine goes to work on contrast and color noise—as well as JPEG artifacts—and allows you to get rid of visible noise without losing image detail, something other noise reduction software can have a hard time doing. And it lets you take control so that you can specify how much and where to apply its magic through the use of U Point Technology. That's right. You point, and the noise is gone. NIK Software |
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Trek-Tech: T'Pod There are table-top tripods and then there's T'Pod, the mighty mini that will support up to nine pounds of camera and lenses at more than a foot high without a quiver. Its innovative MagMount!™—made of rare earth Neodymium—makes it literally a snap to instantly mount cameras, spotting scopes, laser rangefinders and even rifles and pistols (with an optional ShotRest mount). It's a hefty little fella (13 ounces) made of the right stuff—aircraft grade aluminum alloys, high strength polymers and stainless steel. You'll also want to take a look at the world's most unique monopod, the TrekPod. Trek-Tech |
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onOne: Mask Pro 4.1 Removing one background and replacing it with another can be a daunting task, especially if fine details, like hair strands, are involved. So when you shoot your kids in a Nebraska cornfield and then want to virtually whisk them to Paris with an Eiffel Tower background, it could be big chore. Not with Mask Pro. With just a few mouse moves, you can preview your results in real-time to eliminate guess work and then replace backgrounds with ease. Built-in tutorials guide you every step of the way and, before you know it, you'll be a real mask pro. onOne Software |
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Gary Fong: WhaleTail Reporter Basic Aptly named, it indeed looks like there's a miniature whale tail attached to your external flash. What's it supposed to do? Give you just about the greatest flash pictures you've ever taken, that's what. Instead of those pasty faces and deep black shadows, your images will look as if they were shot with professional studio lighting. And all with a single flash! It doesn't get much better—or easier—than that. You can also add some gels or flaps if you want special effects. Even if you're not taking the workshop, you can save 10% if you order one using this code: dslr-cruise. Gary Fong |
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ColorVision: Spyder2 Suite This technological marvel (a colorimeter) automatically calibrates your monitor to accurately display the colors in your image files. Since your printer gets its color information from your image files (not your monitor) it's important that monitor and image files stay in 'synch'. That way, the color adjustments you make to a picture on your monitor will be matched, color-for-color, to those in your image file. Which means the colors your printer outputs from your image files will be the same as those you see on your monitor. This eliminates gnashing of teeth and growls of frustration and saves you a fortune on ink and paper. ColorVision |
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Visible Dust: SensorLoupe™ Dust on the filter that fronts your DSLR sensor can cause countless hours of clean-up work that can be better spent shooting pictures. Even mechanical dust removers built in to some cameras don't shake all the particles loose. So it 's best to spot those little buggers in advance and remove them. The SensorLoupe, with its high optical magnification and six super-bright LEDs, provides a high resolution, crystal-clear image of even the tiniest dust pieces lurking about. Then, you can easily blow or swab them away so you won't waste time erasing them on every single picture youve shot. Visible Dust |
| NOTE: The numbers of gifts above are limited. If you choose a gift that is no longer available, you will be asked to make an alternative selection. Plus ALL workshop attendees (Check back from time to time to see if any new gifts have been added.) |
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Sybex: 40 Digital SLR Techniques This is an excellent DSLR handbook that packs a lot into its 240 pages. Easy to tote around and succinctly covering almost every photographic situation one can encounter, it's a perfect "text" for the workshop. if you were stuck on a desert island with only this book and a brand new DSLR (and not a clue as to how to use the camera, the manual having gone to the bottom of the sea) you'd be taking beautiful pictures in short order. Excellently written and superbly illustrated, it is probably the least known yet best field guide about DSLR photography. Sybex |
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RealViz: Stitcher Express One of the finest panorama applications due to its easy learning curve and enormous "behind the scenes" power. Starting from a series of digital images that have been shot with edges overlapped, Stitcher performs all the complex calculations required to assemble them into any one of several types of panoramas from which large-format prints can be made. Where objects or subjects have moved between frames, it can remove ghost images. It will also stitch together several images of a single subject to produce a high resolution image that far surpasses the rated megapixel value of the camera. Extraordinarily versatile. RealViz |
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Tamrac: N5055 Neoprene Quick Release Strap When using a tripod for shooting panoramas, close-ups, or high dynamic range images, the camera's strap invariably gets entangled in the pan head. That prompted Tamrac to produce a line of quick release straps that could be removed in seconds to allow the camera to have freedom of movement and this is one of their most versatile. It is made of stretchy neoprene so you can carry your camera around all day without feeling weighed down. It also includes two small pockets that can hold extra memory cards or microfilmed secret documents that can be surreptitiously passed to your handler. Tamrac |
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FDRTools: FDRTools Advanced High Dynamic Range is the Holy Grail of photography. Beginning with Ansel Adams and his zone system, photographers have striven to capture the full range of detail between shadow and highlight areas. FDRTools Advanced now makes that possible by automatically combining a series of images shot at different exposures so that the result can be printed out as the human eye saw it. FDRTools is unique in that it can adjust out-of-register pictures shot without the benefit of a tripod or on a tripod that has moved slightly between exposures. It will also remove ghosting caused by moving objects or subjects. FDRTools |
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Red River: Inkjet Paper Sampler Many of the papers in Red River Paper's sampler are beautiful fine arts papers that will make your pictures look as if they should be hanging in the Louvre. They also have one of the finest selections of greeting cards that allow you to express your thoughts on just the right paper suitable for the occasion. Each workshop attendee will receive a special sampler that will make your images shine. In addition, there's a $30 gift certificate plus free shipping on your first paper order. Red River Paper |
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HeliconSoft: Helicon Focus A huge breakthrough in close-up and macro photography has been achieved by this extraordinary program that automatically combines pictures shot at different points of focus into one image that is tack-sharp from foreground to background. Previously unobtainable by conventional photography, Helicon Focus seemingly defies the laws of optics by producing infinite depth of field without having to use extremely small apertures (which result in loss of image definition) or overly-long exposures. It can also be used in landscape photography to create dramatic vistas while keeping foreground objects that are just inches from the camera in sharp focus. HeliconSoft |
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Photoflex: Web Photo School Photoflex, one of the oldest names in photographic lighting equipment, has a great learning center that takes you step-by-step through over 200 photo subjects such as portrait, product, outdoor, small-object photography and more. You'll get a free, members-only, one-year enrollment in this fabulous resource. This is a perfect follow-up to your workshop cruise and will bring you up to speed on many different types of photography. WebPhotoSchool |
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Note: We reserve the right to make gift substitutions or changes in the event of circumstances beyond our control.
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