Author Archives: Jeff

About Jeff

Jeff Butterworth is the founder of Alien Skin Software. He used to create the products, but now he does marketing and gets coffee for the programmers.

Exposure 5 Preview

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Jeff

I’m excited that Exposure 5 is close enough that we can start showing you parts of it. We’ve been improving the user interface to create a more pleasant experience and help you be more productive. Modern Interface We remade the Exposure interface … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Skin Software, Announcements, Exposure, Photography | Tagged | 76 Comments

What do you like to read?

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Jeff

Please take a short survey to tell us what you want to see in our articles. This will help us keep the blog interesting and will just take a minute.

Posted in Announcements, Fun, Philosophy | Tagged | 1 Comment

Photographing Birds at Home

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Jeff

I need a break from hiking through marshes in the winter to photograph birds. For now, I’m trying to make the birds come to my house. Location You can try sneaking up on birds in your yard, but you’ll have … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Photography, Tutorials | Tagged | 22 Comments

Cloudy Day Photography

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Jeff

A rainy day recently started out as a miserable photography experience, but in the end turned out great. First I discovered that there were herons nearby. That perked up my spirits and made me wonder about ways to take advantage of … Continue reading →

Posted in Exposure, Fun, Photography, Tutorials | Tagged | 5 Comments

It’s always a good day to shoot.

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Jeff

Recently we had a lot of cold, cloudy, rainy weather. Each morning a voice in my head said, “There’s no light out there for photography. Everything is dead in the winter. Stay in bed!” But then I had some strong … Continue reading →

Posted in Blow Up, Exposure, Fun, Philosophy, Photography, Tutorials | Tagged | 4 Comments

Great Blue Heron

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Jeff

I discovered a small population of Great Blue Heron while getting to know my telephoto lens. They live year round at Lake Crabtree here in Raleigh, NC. It was fun learning how to approach close enough for a good shot … Continue reading →

Posted in Exposure, Fun, Photography, Snap Art, Tutorials | Tagged | 2 Comments

Image Stabilization and Tripods

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Jeff

Image stabilization (IS) in some lenses and cameras will actually make a picture more blurry when used with a tripod. Common advice is to turn off IS when using a tripod. I like to read advice, but then I test … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy, Photography | Tagged | Leave a comment

Exposure Grain Size

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Jeff

Let’s talk about how to control film grain size in Exposure. First, I’ll acknowledge that individual film grains can only be seen with a microscope. The little fractal lumps you can see in film are clusters of many grains. Still, … Continue reading →

Posted in Exposure, Photography, Tutorials | Tagged | Leave a comment

First walk with the Olympus OM-D E-M5

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Jeff

As I mentioned in the article on choosing a mirrorless camera, I bought the Olympus OM-D E-M5. I recommend also getting the Wasabi charger that is more compact than the one from Olympus. I went for a walk in the woods to … Continue reading →

Posted in Exposure, Fun, Photography | Tagged | 4 Comments

Choosing a Mirrorless Camera

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Jeff

I decided to buy a mirrorless camera. Why? I mostly do travel photography and macro shots in tight locations, like under logs. I’m grateful for any decrease in size and weight compared to a DSLR. So, I started reading…and reading… … Continue reading →

Posted in Fun, Photography | Tagged | 1 Comment