Billy, Bone and the Tree Keeper

A very dear and close friend of ours, Keith Trayling, who within the last year was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease has written his first children’s book called Billy, Bone and the Tree Keeper and we couldn’t be happier or prouder…

Poetry, which is how the book is written, seems to have been a lifeline for Keith since his diagnosis. Each and every time we meet up, he’s been busy putting pen to paper laying down words that recount daily occurrences, memories and such, in Keith’s playful and humorous manner.

Billy, Bone and the Tree Keeper is the first in a series of books about the Adventures of Billy and his 4-legged best friend Bone, and to see the joy in Keith at having the first book published, is just so incredibly moving.

Here’s a short video promo for the book that I put together from when Keith and Bridget came over for a bite to eat and I convinced him to read a few pages that I could record…

Now I’m no web designer but I’ve also made the website for the book and did it using SquareSpace (took a morning to do it) where you can discover more about the book, what the message and educational side to it is, plus learn about Keith and where the inspiration for the book series came from.

Here’s the link: https://www.billyandbone.com

Keith yesterday when the first print copies finally arrived from the publishers

Keith and Bridget have worked incredibly hard and invested to get the adventures, messages and life lessons of Billy and Bone out into the world (something that is so incredibly important to Keith) and even though a few orders have come in from friends and locals, I’d love for us to be able to help them spread the word far and wide.

Through the website, Keith is personally signing and adding messages to copies of the book which are able to be posted worldwide, so if you’d like a copy for yourself, for your children, as a gift or simply because you’d like to support one of life’s truly good people, that would be utterly fantastic!

Yesterday I sent an email to people within my Email Group and last night Bridget messaged to say that orders have come in from people they don’t know, so thank you!

To be able to help good people … people who have been there for us and been a shoulder when things haven’t been so good, but have also celebrated our successes as if they were their own, is a wonderful feeling.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Thank you for taking the time to learn about Billy and Bone, and, well … just thank you.

Glyn

Taken when Keith, Bridget and Arthur came to visit a couple of weeks back and I recorded Keith reading part of Billy, Bone and the Tree Keeper

My Latest Book "The Photoshop Layers and Selections Workshop" is Shipping!

My Latest Book "The Photoshop Layers and Selections Workshop" is Shipping!

Finally, after all kinds of delays caused by you know what, I’m super excited to say that today, 5th October 2021, is the day that Amazon are finally shipping my latest book, The Photoshop Layers and Selections Workshop.

As is always the way, Amazon USA are shipping first and then one month later on 5th November 2021, Amazon UK and the rest of the World start shipping too.

INCREDIBLE: Adobe reveals NEW Lightroom (and Camera RAW) Masking Feature

Incredible! There’s no other word for it!

Check out this short video from Adobe where they reveal what they’ve been working on in Lightroom, and that will be available to us all next month.

Oh and this is going to be made available in Lightroom across the board, so Lightroom Classic, Lightroom in the Cloud, Lightroom Mobile AND Adobe Camera RAW

Masking and isolating areas of an image like this really is the time to say … Game Changer.

Here too is a blog post by the Adobe Camera RAW Team with even more information…

Exciting times ahead and of course I’ll be recording some new videos going through the updates in ‘real world’

Cheers,
Glyn

The FREE Photoshop Virtual Summit 3: One week to go!

Just over one week to go until the Photoshop Virtual Summit 3

Genuinely excited about this not just because I get to teach alongside friends who started out as people I’d followed for years, but also because recording content meant I stumbled across new ways of doing things and have been able to record them as new tutorials.

I came up with a completely new way of quickly removing sunburn and how to change the composition of an image with just one click; I genuinely got excited…or rather more excited than normal :)

The Photoshop Virtual Summit runs from October 4th thru October 8th 2021 and if you haven’t already, you can grab a FREE PASS using the button / link below…

VIP PASS

The Early Bird Pricing for the VIP Pass changes from $$99 (£72) to $149 (£108) on 4th October, so if you want to take advantage of the reduced price, you can use the link below…

 

Questions and Answers

There's been lots of interest in the Photoshop Virtual Summit 3, and that leads to lots of questions. Here are the answers to some commonly asked questions.

Q: What are the details on the Summit?

A: It's October 4 - 8, 2021. 20 expert Photoshop instructors teaching 40 classes - over 30 hours of content!

Q: Can I really watch for free?

A: Yes, after each class goes live you can watch it for 48 hours. After that it gets archived into the VIP Member area.

Q: What about time zones? It'll be really early/late/middle of the night where I live.

A: The classes are not broadcast live, so you don't miss anything if you can't watch it at the time on the schedule. Those times are simply when the classes are made available to watch for the first time.

Q: How long is each class?

A: Classes are typically 45 - 50 minutes in length.

Q: If I can watch for free, why is there a VIP Pass?

A: The VIP Pass is for people who know that they won't be able to watch all of the classes they want to, and who want to be able to re-watch the classes as often as they like, well after the Summit is over.

Q: What's the benefit of purchasing a VIP Pass?

A: Along with the lifetime access to re-watch classes, VIP Members also get access to audio recordings, instructor-provided class notes, and downloadable files. Plus there are some bonuses that will only be available to VIP members.

Q: What does it cost for the VIP Pass?

A: The regular price is $149, but from now up until Noon (EST) on October 4th, the Early Bird price is $99.  

Q: What is the Platinum Plus Pass?

A: For this Summit we are adding live Q&A Sessions with the Instructors in the 2 weeks following the Summit. These sessions are available to purchasers of the Platinum Plus Pass (a $50 add-on/upgrade to the VIP Pass).

Thank You TPS 2021

Thank You TPS 2021

Finally landed back in Devon at 12.30am after what has been a fantastic few days at The Photography Show NEC, Birmingham.

Hats off to the Team behind the show for everything they have put in place to bring it back but as safely as possible. I was genuinely surprised at the numbers despite all the whispers beforehand that attendance would be low; there were more than I expected and a great atmosphere.

Photographic Filters: Now an ESSENTIAL Addition to my Camera Bag

Photographic Filters: Now an ESSENTIAL Addition to my Camera Bag

A few years ago I attempted a landscape photography project, and me being me, that meant buying investing in some kit I’d had no call for until then as a portrait photographer, such as filters. The brand I opted for, and that everyone seemed to mention at the time, was Lee.

I purchased a number of Graduated Neutral Density (ND) Filters, Reverse ND Filters, Polarisers, Big Stopper, Little Stopper and so on, obviously in addition to the filter holding system, carry case and all.

The landscape photography venture didn’t really go much further than one photograph, but to be fair that was mainly because my 39-45 Portraits Project picked up a heck of a pace and took over.

Fast forward to March 2020 when circumstances dictated that I give the landscape stuff another try. I ventured out a few times taking along my Lee Filters but very soon they took a back seat, stayed on a shelf in my office and never saw the light of day.

The BEST Image Settings for Facebook

The BEST Image Settings for Facebook

If you’ve ever uploaded one of your pictures onto social media, in particular Facebook, then it’s highly likely you’ll have experienced that crushing feeling when you see how they look. The compression that Facebook applies seems to batter images to the point that they look, well, awful.

However, here’s the settings you can apply in Photoshop that will fix it…

STEP 1 (Image Size)

With your image / picture open in Photoshop go to Image > Image Size

How to get BETTER Video On Location: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE AUDIO

How to get BETTER Video On Location: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE AUDIO

I think it’s pretty obvious that when it comes to getting your message out, telling the world about a new product or service, or just passing on thoughts, tips, advice and opinion, then video is where it’s at these days.

Video is engaging, it’s to the point (most of the time) and it’’s convenient, meaning we can consume it sat at home on our computers, watching it on Smart TVs, tablet devices and mobiles phones.


However, that said, I remember a good while back someone saying to me…