Microsoft Photosynth is a cool application / service.  What does it do?  Microsoft says "Photosynth creates an amazing new experience with nothing more than a bunch of photos. Creating a synth allows you to share the places and things you love using the cinematic quality of a movie, the control of a video game, and the mind-blowing detail of the real world."  Though a nice description, it does not really tell you what it does.

Simply put, it takes a number of photos you provide to create as complete of a composite as possible.  In good examples making the some of the photos a much more complete picture than any individua... [More]

I spent some time today playing with some of the newer photo tools available.  I must say, I am surprised by how many tools are available for free.  Some of the ones I played around with include:

• Microsofts Deep Zoom Composer (Sea Dragon / Silverlight)
• Microsoft Photosynth
• Microsoft ICE (Image Composition Editor)
• Adobe Lightroom 2 / Photoshop 4

Below you will find some of my initial thoughts and reactions to each of the tools / technologies. I will be following up with a post about each of these individually with more detail and an example.

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Last Friday I picked up a Canon 40D. With it I purchased EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM which in short order I have concluded is a great all purpose lens.

I really like the new camera and am definitely excited about all of the future accessories. Next on the list is a Canon Speedlite 430EX flash, a couple more compaq flash cards (probably Sandisk... [More]

After looking at Apple's Aperture it is time to take a closer look at the Adobe alternative Lightroom.

Out of the gate Lightroom offers a potentially significant advantage over other photography applications, both Mac and Windows versions are supported. Though for many people in the professional world, this may not be an advantage I suspect there are plenty of amateurs out there who have not plunked down the money for a Mac.

Overall the interface is good and very usable. Across the top of the screen clearly lists the modules / sections of the applica... [More]

I have recently been looking at applications specifically suited as resources for digital photography. I am currently looking at Apple's Aperture.

Overall this looks like a good application with a lot of capabilities. At a glance the management of photos is a little confusing. Library, Albums, Projects, Light Tables, etc. it was a bit unclear at the beginning where files should be, where masters versus versions are, duplication of resources, etc. In the end, once you read through the guides, it will all make much more sense.

Photo editing is a little weak. I like how versions are managed and originals are never altered and ... [More]