Annie Leibovitz at The Elliot Bay Book Company | Photo by Jacob Lucas

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet Annie Leibovitz at a local book signing in Seattle. She gave a quick talk and read from her new book, Pilgrimage, and answered a few questions from the audience. She is such an amazing photographer, and I also discovered that she’s an extremely warm, genuine and friendly person. I purchased her new book, Pilgrimage, and had it personalized and signed … and I even managed to sneak behind her table and get a photo taken with her.

This was such a great experience, and I’m truly inspired and motivated to get out and create. Thanks, Annie!

Peachpit Photo Club:
Tuesday, December 13th at 5:00 PM (PST)

Register here: http://www.peachpit.com/promotions/promotion.aspx?promo=137633

In this presentation I’ll be discussing food photography and my book Food Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots. I’ll discuss tips on photography, styling and even some basic photographic concepts which are commonly used with food. If you’re interested in food photography, this is definitely for you!

This webinar is free and limited to 200 participants, so register early to make sure you get a seat.

onOne Presents:
Wednesday, December 21st at 11:00 AM (PST)

Register here: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/969105848

As one of the newest partners with onOne Software I’m making my “webinar debut” and will be giving a presentation on my photography, talk about my business (mostly stock photography) and also about my recent travels to Vietnam. I’ll share a lot of photos and answer questions along the way. I’m really excited about this, so I hope you’ll join me!

Registration is free and there is no limit for participants.

Camera: iPhone 4

I’m currently in Hoi An, Vietnam and have been in Vietnam for one week. So far I’ve traveled to Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang and I have a few days left in Hoi An before heading up North. I still have about two weeks left, and so far I’ve gotten some great photos and had many unforgettable experiences.

When I told many of my photographer friends I was headed here, they all told me they were jealous … and now I know why. This place is a photographer’s paradise. So much activity, the people are gorgeous and friendly, and the scenery is amazing. I’ve actually been enjoying the “mostly cloudy” weather, with a bit of rain, and a few days of sunshine … my skin doesn’t like the bright sunlight, and it allows me to photograph in the middle of the day in areas that would normally be reserved for the softer morning or evening light.

I photographed the above scene off a street in Hoi An (this shot was with my iPhone). I got up very early, about 5:00 am, to walk down and see the hustle and bustle of the fish market. The nice thing about this time of day is that it wasn’t crowded with tourists (I only saw a few other “westerners”, and they both had cameras like me) and the streets away from the market were fairly empty and free of people in general. I doubt that this scene would have looked the same if I had waited a few hours to head out with my camera.

To follow more of my travels in Vietnam, take a look at my Google+ page. I’ve been updating it daily with the places I’ve traveled to and some of my fun experiences.

I discovered CanvasPop earlier this year. I wanted to start printing my photos, and I liked what I was seeing online  (on their website and through other recommendations) so I wanted to try it out. I also like having my photos on canvas … it looks a bit more elegant, and there’s no shiny glass to add glare to the photo. Plus, canvas prints tend to be very lightweight, and since I’m almost always in a rental apartment I’m cautious of how many holes I poke into the walls.

So, I went to CanvasPop.com and ordered a print. Then, I ordered another … and another. And my latest print is a beautiful three-panel (triptych) of one of my newest favorite photographs above my bed. It’s absolutely stunning, and it makes me wish I had more wall-space to fill in my tiny apartment where I could display more canvas prints.

The things I love about CanvasPop:

• First, the print quality is gorgeous. It’s bright, vibrant and pretty true to what I see on my monitor. I usually submit my images at 300dpi and sRGB for my color profile, and they print beautifully. (I also calibrate my monitor regularly—I use a Spyder 3—which I would recommend to any photographer in general.)
• I LOVE the frame options. You can have your image set into a nice wooden frame (black, white or a gorgeous espresso-brown color) and it adds a very nice touch to the image. I like this because it adds an extra “professional” feel to the canvas, but another thing that is great about it is that it doesn’t wrap the photo around before it’s framed, so you don’t lose any of the edge of the print like you normally do when you have a photo gallery-wrapped.
• The multiple panel options is so easy to order and I think it adds a uniqueness to a photo that makes them stand out. They basically do the work for you … just choose the option (“diptych”, “triptych”, or “quad”) when ordering your print and upload your normal-sized file and they will break it apart so it fits perfectly on your wall. They also set up the hardware on the back perfectly so that you can align your nails and they are leveled when you hang them up. I think it took me about 10 minutes (tops) to get these prints out of the box and up on my wall.
• You can review a proof of your image before they mail it to you. This works well for the paneled option, just to make sure that your photo actually does work well separated into two or more side-by-side prints. They send an email to you of the proof, and you have to approve it before they continue with the printing. This does add a few extra days to your order, but it can be worth it if you want to ensure the composition works well with your photo.

It took me a while to get to the point where I didn’t just look at my photos on my computer, but I actually started printing them to hang on my wall. And now that I’m printing my photos I’m really glad that I found a great canvas printer to do this with. I give CanvasPop a HUGE thumbs-up.

Disclosure: CanvasPop gave me some credit in my account to go towards the print you see in the photo above, but all that did was just push me to getting the print I’ve been wanting for a while. I would never, ever say nice things about a product that I didn’t believe in or plan to use on my own … I love CanvasPop and will continue to get my canvas prints from them in the future.