Category Archives: Philosophy

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

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

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

The Best Features are Invisible

Posted on September 19, 2012 by Jeff

When improving a product, many people have an instinct to add features that grab your attention. This usually involves new buttons and sliders. It’s easy to show off that kind of feature, but it’s often bad for the product. Every … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Skin Software, Business, Design, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Draw outside the lines!

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Jeff

Our first product was Eye Candy and it was successful because it figuratively and literally drew outside the lines. The lines in question are the “marching ants” at the edge of a selection in Photoshop. In 1993, filters were not allowed to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Skin Software, Business, Design, Eye Candy, Philosophy | 3 Comments

Communicating with Clients

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Jeff

I ran across a story of a bride who was dissatisfied with her wedding photos. What is the lesson from this experience? It’s not, “Take better photos.” We all know we should learn more about our craft and do a good … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Skin Software, Philosophy, Photography | Leave a comment

Teaching

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Jeff

I stopped programming about six years ago. That used to be my passion. At times I have missed it, but the company needs me in another capacity, so that’s what I do. For a while I was sad about not … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Skin Software, Business, Philosophy | Leave a comment

Don’t Work. Have Fun!

Posted on June 22, 2012 by Jeff

When I was young I was confused by people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who kept working after they got rich. I thought that money brought happiness and work was the unpleasant thing you did to make money. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Skin Software, Business, Philosophy | 1 Comment

Stop trying to fix open plan offices

Posted on May 25, 2012 by Jeff

I recently read a New York Times article about how companies are tweaking open plan workspaces to make them less irritating. The problem is that workers don’t have privacy or quiet in a cubicle farm. The most creepy solution is … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Skin Software, Business, Philosophy | 1 Comment

Hire people who are better than you.

Posted on May 24, 2012 by Jeff

Recently Terence solved a hard image processing problem that has bugged us for years. I’m pretty good at math and image processing, but his advanced technique was a little over my head. Am I sad that I can’t follow Terence’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Alien Skin Software, Business, Philosophy | 1 Comment