Sawadee Khrap

Here are a couple of new PS works – just for fun, Kong wanted something to show his horoscope symbol and I thought a modified Roman Gladiator would be fun too (this was a exercise in getting the skin to match between images used in the composition - .   But this also lets me note a couple of great Photoshop Experts and their training classes or DVD’s

First   Mr. Ben Willmore – His explanation of how to use the “Curves” adjustment layer for matching colors is a God send.  Check out his tutorials on Kelby Training

Second is another great instructor on Photoshop  Mr. Aaron Nace at PHLearn.com  ---  His use of adjustment layers to blend, color match, and make composites is I think the best out there.  Check out his PHLearn Pro video tutorial series for compositing. 

With these two video collections – your ready to tackle any composite task --- Check them out if you're  interested in Photoshop.

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

Happy Birthday to “Nicky’s Gay Newsletters”   -   If you are not a subscriber and you are interested in Thailand – then get on line.  Nicky does a terrific job of keeping up with all the local happenings.

Keep up the good work and all the best in the coming years.

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

Just meet a new friend, Ga, another fellow photographer here in Jomtien – Check out his Facebook Page  He told me about a great location called the Batman bldg. This abandoned building is about 12 years old and has great graffiti on it’s walls.  It was built to be a Disco house and said to have the upper portion as a short-time rooms – but the place never opened.  I took a trip to see the place before I try to do a any photo shoot there – IT IS Great.

I have another friend that wants to have some shots of his new motorcycle and himself and done in a flashy way –

Sawadee Khrap

My friend Jim, in Chiang Mai   alerted me to this urgent need.  Here’s a true hero who needs our help.

Chaa Nay Choo,  Karenni refugee Camp, Mae Surin.

Please read the story and if at all possible please donate a few dollars for his care and recovery – as you can see it only takes a pittance -  30,000 Baht  or US$ 1,000  for his immediate care  - help us reach the goal and ease his and his family’s suffering.

Donations can also be made online through PayPal. Simply go to www.paypal.com and send a donation of any amount to donate@thebestfriend.org. Again, please include a note explaining if you would like your donation to be used for Chaa Nay Choo specifically, or for the Karenni refugees in general. 

It’s sad we can’t help them all  - but here’s one chance to help a young man who was injured helping others. He deserves a chance.

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

As always, with all Go-Go houses in Thailand, you have to be careful about under-age girls/boys working there.  Most all of the establishments make sure all employees are of age – but some still try to get around the law. 

I just posted about Sunee Plaza and had a photo from the front of the “Mic-My” – what do you know – It’s in the Pattaya Daily News.   

Busted            

So I just want to point out that anytime or anywhere you go and are waited on by any young person, make sure,  if you are planning to get to know them better,  that you closely check their ID and age.  Don’t offer dinner if you don’t know how old they are. 

The dancers are great – shows are entertaining – drinks are refreshing – the boys/girls are beautiful and there to serve you  - but be careful if your planning anything else.  Don’t end up spending your vacation in

Sawadee Khrap

Thanks Kevin for pointing out this excellent video:

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

I have been studying a terrific free course in drawing in perspective by Matt Kohr from CTRL+Paint - this is so crucial in paintings, drawings and creating realistic photomontages in Photoshop. And his web-page lead me to Warren’s program. What a life saver – now with Matt’s study principals and Carspace , all I have to do is to get proficient with it and use it on every image I produce – correct perspective - next I have to study shadows, the second most important aspect to making believable and realistic scenes.

So every once in a while I find a software that is a killer.   I hope I have some readers who are artists and are interested in how to calculate perspective for their drawings or how to create a perspective grid for an existing photograph.   To the rescue -  Warren Marshall  from Epic Games  released  CARSPACE perspective software (freeware)

Sawadee Khrap

My God, I’m sorry for not doing more checking before I posted the video about the “Railroad Market” –  “POST #  Vegetable Market in India”     just used the info I received.

And many thanks to  Moses from “Bangkok Tours” for pointing it out.  The world’s Most Dangerous Market

 IT IS IN  MAE KLONG - near BANGKOK, THAILAND  !!!!

I am also amazed that they picked this up so fast and sent me a comment to correct my posting … Thanks Moses.

Make sure you check out their website and services – “Gay Tours” are included and sound wonderful.  I don’t know anyone there and I haven’t taken any tours yet but their website is very professional and offers a great array of adventures  (Gay Adventures) too .

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

“How close to train tracks can you set up a vegetable market ?”

Thanks Jerry for this great clip.   VegetableMarket

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

The Gospel of Intolerance

Extremism is everywhere, all religions and faiths, – exclude’ism – divide and conquer – If God is everywhere, in everything, then nothing can be separate. Nothing can without God – COMPLETE

To exclude anyone is to exclude all – Jesus taught – forgiveness is the path to salvation --- condemnation or exclusion is the path to damnation, Life in a God 'less world.  God is not for some to the exclusion of others – if God is ONE then we all are one in God.

Christians, Islam, Buddhist, Hindu, all of them – some Sects teach hate, exclusion, separation, favoritism, all denying the Complete God. THE ONE, THE ALL INCLUSIVE - 

“Forgive them Father, they know not what they do.”

Thanks Kevin for pointing this out.

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

Adobe’s Lightroom is a must have program for any photographer – or traveler who takes photos for that matter.  And if your camera doesn’t have a built in Geo Tracker – then you can use your smart phone to record the tracklog and have Lightroom sync the photos.

I used GPS Essentials (free) with my Galaxy II to record my trip today and took 84 images with the Canon D7 (no GPS) around Pattaya Beach and Walking Street – loaded the images and tracklog into Lightroom and above is the results – in blue is my route and each of the photos have been set to the correct location automatically. – and very accurate too.

The route, shown in blue, also shows the car route I used to get there and back ( no images tagged).   I store the tracklog in the same directory as the original images, so I now have a permanent record of the trip.

Here is a      *******  SLIDESHOW *******  of some of the images taken during the walk.

I am going to plan more excursions and will use this system to record each trip – and put a copy, like above, in each slideshow -

Sawadee Khrap

THEY PROVED IT --- "Gay men weren't just put on this earth for their fashion flair, impeccable taste and creativity," said Jones. "They're cancer-fighting angels that need to be encouraged, celebrated and, above all, appreciated."

So get out there and fight cancer – tell your friends – form a group –

SAVE THE WORLD FROM PROSTATE AND TESTICULAR CANCER

FREE US OF THIS DREADED DISEASE

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

Thanks Kevin for letting me know about this latest crusade – makes sense - I think it will work:

click on the image

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

** click on the ad above for the full story **

Sorry no photos – this event wanted 1500-2500 Baht for a ticket – too much for this old man – just have to look at the web results.

Good luck Girls

UPDATE   Miss Philippines won

Ciao

Sawadee Khrap

Here are a couple of diverse techniques.

I love the photo of the little boy from the refugee camp, great shot of determination, climbing obstacles.  More of a outline and cartoon effect but I think it adds a degree of importance to the shot.  And the second is a painting effect utilizing greater brush stroke definition than the ones I did before. 

Sunday I went to my first meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club and plan to go back next week – Sunday’s meeting had a nature photographer (ian Frame) showing his work – great presentation of macro work in the insect world.  The club is also trying to re-spark their Photo Group and for it I volunteered to present some information on using Lightroom and Photoshop.  We’ll see what happens and post later.  

In addition there is also a Pattaya Expats Club  meeting at the same time each Sunday – not sure who broke from who, I’ll get that info and let you know.  I’ll try to attend this group in