Twin Dragons - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

The Twin Dragons of Bellagio

I wonder what it’s like to build your own dragon? The folks at the Bellagio built a lot of them to display for Chinese New Year.  Moving, breathing, snorting smoke and snapping jaws. It’s like a middle school science project on steroids. As much as I appreciate the constructions, it really blows me away at night when the color and light takes on a new character. The changing scenes of the Conservatory are part of the allure in Las Vegas that keeps calling me back for another visit.

Facebook Timeline Cover Photos of Las Vegas

Put a little Las Vegas in your Facebook Timeline! I took selected 26 of my Las Vegas photos for use as Facebook Timeline Cover photos – each one perfectly sized so you only need to upload it to your profile. You get two sets of the same 26 photos – with and without frames for a unique look.  There are no watermarks cluttering up the images and each one is my own original photograph.

Check out some of the samples below and look for more Facebook Timeline Cover Photo packs coming soon on Suburbia Press.

Facebook Timeline Cover Photos on SuburbiaPress.com

George - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

George Washington in the Rotunda

Poor George. Everyone else had all these plans and schemes to honor him, but all he wanted to do was relax on his farm. He knew they would name the new Federal City after him. He also knew they wanted to bury him below this floor in the crypt – ever present for people to view.  Of course, George thwarted that plan in his will.  It didn’t matter, though.  One way or another, folks were bound and determined to have some view of George Washington in the very center of the city that bears his name.  Nobody would defy his last will, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have a statue of him looking up at a painting depicting his rise from Man to God.

In the end, the politicians always get their way.

Hard Landing - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

Never Go Faster Than Your Angel Can Fly

I’m constantly amazed by people who don’t understand that simple phrase. Hang out with a few bikers and you may see a helmet sticker or a patch on someone’s jacket that says “Never Go Faster Than Your Angel Can Fly.”  It’s a cute way of reminding people that they’re responsible for their own actions.  It came to mind this weekend as I watched someone run right smack into a wall.  Then he blamed me for his misfortune.

We all have accidents, make mistakes, or just do something that didn’t work out as we planned.  The thing that I’ve found most revealing of character is how someone behaves after messing up a bit.

Mount Vernon Farm - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

George Washington’s Farm

Having read a lot of Revolutionary War history, I’m struck by the number of our Founding Fathers who wrote about their desire to be almost anywhere else. Most of them just wanted to go home to their farm and live a simple life.  Yet, of course, they kept getting drawn back into public life – either as warriors, ambassadors, representatives or even presidents.

To be honest, I never put that much stock into those writings.  Yes, I’m sure they felt pressure quite frequently and wished for a reprieve.  There’s nothing like home for comfort.  However, I suspected there was a part of them that craved their public position.  Once I finally visited Mount Vernon, I re-evaluated that position.  Washington lived on some of the most idyllic property I could imagine.  I’m sure he would’ve rather spent the winter on his farm instead of Valley Forge.  It’s his own damn fault, though. If he hadn’t started the French-Indian War, we could still be proper British subjects.

Lightroom 4 is on the Mac App Store

You may have heard that Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 is now available on the Mac App store.  Many of us wondered if Adobe would put more of their products on the App Store.  Now Lightroom 4 can compete head to head with Aperture 3 in the same venue.  Clearly, this only matters to Mac users.  If you’re a Windows user, this changes nothing for you.

• What should Mac users consider?
• Is this a good deal for you?
• Can you upgrade from the Mac App store?
• Should you buy Lightroom from the Mac App Store?
• What are the trade-offs vs. buying a traditional box or download of Lightroom 4?

These are all good questions, even if I did write them myself.  Actually, a couple of them are a bit lame, but I’ll try to do better on the answers.

The first consideration is that this is a Mac-only license.  You can’t use a version on Mac and a version on a Windows machine. If you have any inkling that you may need to run Lightroom 4 on a Windows machine now or in the future, you may be better off buying Lightroom 4 from Amazon or B&H.

Next, how many machines do you want to run Lightroom 4?  The Mac App Store lets you legally install software on any Mac that you own and use. That “you” means personally, not professionally, in a business.  The license is for the Macs in your home. That isn’t just for Lightroom 4, but is the license for anything on the Mac App Store. Unlike iTunes music of video, you aren’t restricted to five machines.  If you have six Macs in your house, you get to put Lightroom 4 (and other Mac App Store software) on all of those machines.  If you buy a traditional Box or Download of Lightroom 4 elsewhere, you may use it on two computers – the common scenario is a desktop & a laptop.

Upgrades are another issue.  There is no discounted pricing if you’re upgrading from a previous version of Lightroom.  To use that discount, you need to buy an upgrade license from Adobe, or through a traditional reseller like Amazon or B&H. For that matter, there is no guarantee that you will be able to get a discount on the next version of Lightroom from the Mac App Store.  Some software vendors will let you upgrade for free.  Others just put out a new product and you pay as any other new user. I would not expect Adobe to give away its next major release of Lightroom, but you should expect to receive minor updates through the Mac App Store.

If you have a discount for Adobe software – such as a NAPP membership – it doesn’t apply on the Mac App Store.  You need to go direct to Adobe with your coupon code to receive that discount pricing.

So which one is better?  Neither.  Each has its benefits and drawbacks.  If you have multiple Macs and would like Lightroom on them, you can see an instant savings once you get to three machines, since the traditional license only applies for two machines.  If you want upgrade or discounted pricing on a single license, then avoid getting Lightroom 4 on the Mac App Store.

Overall, it’s nice to have another alternative for software.  I really like the Mac App Store because it’s one of the best provisioning systems around.  Something happens to your Mac – no sweat, get it fixed or buy a new one and get your software installed with just a few clicks.  It’s just up to you to decide if this is right for your needs and budget.

Dam Straight - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

Inside the Hoover Dam

Did you know that you can take a tripod inside the Hoover Dam?  I couldn’t take my camera bag (it was too big for their size restrictions), but I could take my D700, a couple of lenses and a tripod. Basically, I carried my camera mounted to the tripod in one hand and a $2000 lens in the other hand, switching off where necessary.  Wasn’t my brightest decision, but I got out without dropping any expensive glass down a seemingly endless pit of concrete.  That would’ve been bad.

OnOne Software Sale (Reprise)

Remember yesterday when I told you about a sale at OnOne Software?  Then do you remember when it didn’t happen?  We just laughed and laughed…and, well maybe not so much.  It turns out that the sale was delayed by a day, but I didn’t get the e-mail about the delay until last night.  Sorry about that.

Fortunately, the nice folks there tell me that the sale on Perfect Suite 6 is definitely on starting at 10:00am PDT today (May 10th) and runs through May 16th.  Best of all, it’s a $100 discount. OnOne not only has some really great software in the suite, but the site is full of video training showing how you can get some very creative results from their tools.  It’s worth a look.

The Secret Congressional Auditorium - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

Continuity of Government

You’ve probably seen the Senate Chamber or the House of Representatives Chamber on the evening news or CSPAN before, but have you ever seen this room? Located under the Capitol Building, this auditorium is an alternate place for Congress to meet. Why? One reason could be due to the attacks that have happened on Congress over the years. For example, there are still bullet holes inside the House of Representatives from the 1954 attack by Puerto Rican nationalists. Two U.S. Capitol Police officers were shot & killed in 1998. The first assassination attempt on a U.S. President – Andrew Jackson – happened in the Capitol Building.

How would the business of government continue if a new attack happened in one of the chambers of Congress? Apparently, those who lived through it would come downstairs and meet here. The show must go on.

OnOne Software Sale

OnOne Software is having a sale on Perfect Photo Suite Six from May 10 (tomorrow) through the 16th. Now is a great time to pick up the suite at a reduced price. If you’re reading this after the sale, don’t worry!  You can always save 10% using my coupon code: WBEEMPHOTO

National Building Museum - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

The Secret Lego Playground of Washington, D.C.

This is one of those cool museums in the world that doesn’t mind if you bring a tripod along with your camera.  I stopped by hear and tried to grab some shots handheld one day, and then I noticed a ton of other photographers there with tripods.  When I asked one of the folks who worked there about using a tripod, he just said, “Sure, bring it.”  That was all I needed to know, so I came back later to make some – I hope – better shots on a stable platform.

One of the things that I liked about this place was that parents brought their kids inside, apparently just to play in the main hall. I’m not sure how much else there is to do inside this museum, other than look at the spectacular architecture and design.  I just thought it was cool that a family could stop inside, relax, and let the kids run around & play a bit.

The Flickr Question

Are you still using Flickr?  My “Pro” subscription ended about a week ago and I decided to see what happened if I didn’t renew it. It turns out that I’m not missing it so much. Flickr basically holds your photos hostage, except the most recent 200.  The rest are still there, but they aren’t shown anymore. Considering that Flickr has done damn little to keep pace with the industry, I haven’t felt like giving them more money.  I don’t get that many views of my photos there, and it doesn’t drive traffic to my blog.  The more I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out why I need Flickr in my life.

So that’s the Flickr Question – what does it do for you?

Jefferson - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

Breaking the Rules

Apparently, the rules of photography state that you’re not permitted to put your subject dead-center in the frame. At least, that’s what I’m told.  I never got the manual.  On the other hand, the rules also state that once you know the rules, you can break the rules.  Seems rather contradictory to me, but I’m sure it’s in the manual.  It was probably written by committee and was the result of some great compromise between Centrists and Extremists.  Photography, as you know, is quite political.  You could probably get in trouble just for looking at this photo.

I’m a Little Disappointed with Adobe

I was on a Google+ Hangout with some friends this weekend and we were sharing photos. One of my friends asked (with just a hint of disdain) why I was using Aperture. I have many reasons, but the most important one was because I bought it before Lightroom was a product and it would be a major hassle to migrate from one program to the other.  It’s not that I don’t think Lightroom isn’t a capable product.  Although I don’t like the use of modules to divide the work, there are plenty of things that I like about Lightroom.

Then I started wondering if I’ve shouldn’t give Lightroom more of an opportunity.  Last night, I noticed that Adobe had a special price on Lightroom 4 if you bought it with Photoshop CS6 – $99.  Hey, that’s a third of the price knocked off right there.  It seemed like a good opportunity to buy it along with my order for Photoshop CS6.

I contacted Adobe to ask if I could modify my existing order for Photoshop CS6, but was told that I couldn’t do it.  However, I could place a new order for both products and then cancel my original order. It seemed like an unnecessary hurdle, but one that I could handle.

Then it all started to fall apart.  I’m a NAPP member and we have a 15% discount for Adobe products, which I used on my Photoshop upgrade.  Apparently, you can only use it once, though.  When I tried to apply it to my new order for both products, the system told me I couldn’t use it. So while the discounted price of Lightroom 4 combined with Photoshop CS6 is a good deal, I couldn’t use my discount for the Photoshop upgrade (I didn’t expect it to further discount Lightroom).  Apparently, that’s because I had to place my new order before Adobe would cancel the old one.

I’m unclear if the NAPP discount is only useful one time.  In other words, does this mean that I can’t get a discount on other Adobe products if I decide that I need them after I’ve made a purchase?  I’ll have to check with the NAPP folks to find out.

Maybe I’m being picky, but I want the discount that goes with my membership.  The way Adobe was handling it, I couldn’t use that discount at all if I wanted to add-on Lightroom 4.  So I’m still here with Aperture and without Lightroom 4.  The $99 price was enough to entice me, but I’m just not sure why Adobe wouldn’t let me add it to my existing order.

That brings me back to one of my favorite sayings, “Money goes where it’s treated well.”  Adobe, you had a chance to sell me something for a price you offered. So why did  you make it difficult to give you my money?  Am I asking too much?  It seemed simple to me.  Adobe wants $99 to buy Lightroom if I’m also buying Photoshop. OK, cool.  I’ve ordered Photoshop, so let me stuff a Franklin in your pocket to download Lightroom.  No? I can’t do that.  I must first jump through some hoops and run through a shopping obstacle course.

Is this a scenario where combined discounts don’t apply?  That could be the case and I wouldn’t blame you.  So just say that’s what it is, please.  I don’t like poor communication.  I’m just a dumb customer.  Clearly, there’s something here that I don’t understand and your staff was of no help to me at all. They didn’t know the answer. If I can’t get help from Adobe about its own purchase policies, then I give up.

The Forgotten Fisheye - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

 The Fisheye View of City Center

I don’t take many photos using a fisheye lens.  I have a good reason, too.  It’s because I don’t own a fisheye lens.  Apparently, I was in Las Vegas a year ago – with a fisheye.  I say “apparently” because I was digging through my travel library and found this shot.  I don’t really have any memory of being there at that time, or using a fisheye lens. Whatever I did, I hope to hell that I had fun doing it.

Iwo Jima Sunrise - © Copyright 2012 by William Beem

The Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial

The recipe for this kind of shot is pretty simple.  Get out of bed at Oh-Dark-Thirty and be at the location an hour before sunrise with your camera mounted on a tripod. Why so early?  Because the light is more dramatic before the sun actually rises. That’s why you need to be there before the the Earth rotates into full view of the sun’s black body radiation.  You just want the stuff on the fringe with long wavelengths, right? It’s also because the sun sets on the other side, and the background would then be a 7-11 and some nondescript buildings.  Kinda sucks just to think about that angle. It also sucks to have to wake up and be on the move before the Marines get up, but sometimes that’s just the way it is.

Don’t worry, they caught up with me by the time I made it down to the Lincoln Memorial.