We have a few random items leftover from our Canon days.  When you’ve lived with a system for long enough, you start to forget where you’ve stashed all your gear :)  Chenin posted most of our old gear up for sale last month, but missed these things, which you can pick up from us here :)

• SOLD! 24-70mm f/2.8 L | $925 – Small scratch on the rear element.   Front is reasonably clean.  Missing front lens cap (I think… Chenin says she knows where it is, but I’ll believe it when I see it:).  Has hood and rear cap.  Normal exterior condition from 4+ years of regular use.  FWIW, I tested this lens last year against the Canon 24mm 1.4 L, 24mm T/S, 35mm 1.4 L, 28mm 1.8, and the Leica 35mm 1.4 (as  I recall) R-Mount, plus the 50mm 2.5 macro, 45mm T/S, and 24-105mm f/4 L.  I thought the 24-70 was good enough to skip the Canon and Leica primes and just use the 24-70 as a wide.  It’s pretty darned good.  Dunno if it was just our sample, or whether all 24-70s are this good, but our copy was great.
• SOLD! 50mm f/1.4 USM | $35 – AF is broken.  Just like all the other 50mm f/1.4’s we’ve owned.  Focuses manually just fine, and you can probably send it into Canon and get it fixed.  Front and rear caps plus lens hood (which, last I checked, you had to purchase separately, which is another rant entirely)  Glass is clean.   Optically, I think it’s the best 50mm in the Canon line once you stop down (the L beats it at wider apertures.)  At f/8-f/11, this was sharper than our 50mm f/1.2 L, at least in my reasonably controlled, subjective tests.  Don’t flame me for saying it.
• SOLD! 85mm f/1.8 | $275 – I always liked this lens better than the 85mm f/1.2 L (either version), because it focuses so much faster.  Sharp, light, quick.  It’s a good 85.  Comes with front and rear caps and the lens hood.  Wear marks on the front element from being tossed into camera bags over the years (reasonably minor, though).  Rear element’s clean.  If you were buying it from KEH, they’d call it Bargain condition.
• SOLD! 550EX flash | $250 – A bit scuffed on the exterior.  Works.
• SOLD! ST-E2 Wireless E-TTL Transmitter | $150 / $100 – We have two.  One is in missing the little red cover on the bottom part (it’s the one on the right in the picture below.)  As I recall, that doesn’t affect it’s ability to transmit a signal, but does mean that if you use it for focus assist, you get a bright white light instead of a muted red one.  I could be pulling that out my ass, but I think it’s accurate, based on what I remember.  I don’t have a Canon body around anymore to test it.  That one is $100.  The other one is complete, and comes with the original genuine synthetic leather case provided by the manufacturer.  It’s $150.
• SOLD! Off-Camera Shoe Cord 2 | $30 – Cord to let you use your flash off-camera while maintaining TTL metering.
• SOLD! Remote Switch RS-80N3 | $20 – Basically an electronic shutter release cable for Canon EOS cameras.
• SOLD! Canon Shutter Release Cable For Pocket Wizards | $30 – Allows you to trigger the shutter on your camera from a pocket wizard.  Great for remote camera setups, photo booths, self-portraits, etc, etc.

Add $10 for shipping to the lower 48 via UPS ground.

All that is prologue, however, to actually SEEING what I’m talking about, so if you are still reading this far, go ahead and check out this little preview of what Dirty Pictures is all about (and apologies for the somewhat annoying mic popping…):

[See post to watch Flash video]

Update – It’s ALIVE! Head on over to Dirty Pictures at the Totally Rad Store and pick it up!

The best thing to happen to the Totally Rad Actions in nearly a year just went online at www.trarecipes.com.  We’ve showcased over 160 awesome ways to use the Totally Rad Actions (and counting!) with before and after examples, step-by-step recipes and instructions.  Browse recipes by the actions used, by genre, or by the action set required.  Vote on your favorites and discuss the recipes with your fellow rad photographers.  Whether you shoot portraits, weddings, landscapes, or fine art, you’ll find tons of inspiring examples for how to transform your images using the Totally Rad Actions.  Best of all, it’s 100% free!

Check it out at www.trarecipes.com!

Lastly, we are so stinkin happy with all the photos submitted that we’re busy preparing a new website to host them all – it’ll be both a showcase for your raddest images, as well as a place to go for inspiration and ideas on how to get 100% from your favorite Photoshop actions – the Totally Rad Actions!  Look for an announcement hopefully sometime in May this year.

So without further ado, here are the winners we’ve picked for our first ever TRA Recipe Contest:

John and Kimberly will be receiving the DREAM PACKAGE from Into The Darkroom.

1st Place

The TRA Recipe:

• TRA – Bitchin B&W (as is, no changes.) (If wanting image to be B&W)
• Special action I made called “Buttery” (see below) made up of exclusively TRA actions:
• Very Mild B&W texture added for grain.
• Serve warm straight from the oven.

“Buttery” Recipe.

1. Oh Snap (as is, no changes.)
2. SX-70 with layer set to 45% opacity.
3. Cinnamon toast with layer set to 47% opacity.
4. Boutwell Magic Glasses (as is, no changes.)

2nd Place – Teri Fode, Sacramento, CA

One Year in the Wedding Chicks online directory, and one month on the site’s front page.

2nd Place

The TRA Recipe:

Photo Prep:

1. Basic levels/curves
2. Liquify and Healing Brush for skin/flaws
3. O Snap100%

Photo Art:

1. Flareup Golden 100%
2. F/Zero 100% for Background / 47% foreground / 0% subject
3. Saturation Brush: 35% yellow areas (dress/building/flare areas)
4. Grainstorm 100% (erase out skin)
5. Len Flare (create a dup layer and select 50-300mm under Filter > Render > Lens Flare @ 99%)

Christine wins a brand-new ShootSac, with her choice of custom cover.

After

Before

The TRA Recipe:

1. Yin/Yang
2. Select-O-Sharp
3. Pool Party  100%  (minus curve torture layer)
4. Get Faded (summer)  30%
5. Warm it up Kris  54%
6. Get faded (winter)  37%
7. Pool Party  50%  (minus partial desat layer)
8. Sharpen for web 2X

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and to our generous sponsors for the fabulous prizes!  The contest was so much fun that we might just have to do it again sometime… until then, keep shooting, and keep rocking the Totally Rad Actions!

Date: April 14th & 15th
Location: Dallas, Texas
Who: JVS and Anne
Name: 2 Day Lighting Workshop + From RAW to WOW! 1 Day Workshop

Start your new season with a hands-on Workshop!

JVS & Anne’s 2 Day Lighting Workshop will show you how to make
small strobes look big along with hands-on shooting (yes, you will be shooting)
in 10+ lighting scenarios!

Explore the world of artificial light with JVS through multiple demonstrations and
in studio learning. You will learn how to effectively use your own strobes,
modify your strobes and have the chance to shoot with AlienBees monolights.

New for 2009 is the From RAW to WOW! 1 Day Workshop on April 16th.

From RAW to WOW! will teach you the importance of a calibrated monitor
and color managed workflow, RAW conversion and working with the Totally Rad
actions. JVS and Anne will also present live printing demonstrations with
Red River inkjet papers.

JVS Workshops are open to all professional photographer’s, including studios in the
DFW area.

For more information please visit http://www.jvspictures.com/2day

We want to see your raddest images.  Your eye-popping, jaw-dropping photo magic.  That kind of stuff.  We want to see before and after shots that show off the Totally Rad Actions.  Show us how you’ve transformed your photos, and tell us how you did it.  All genres and styles of photography are welcome and encouraged.

To submit images, send an email to contest@gettotallyrad.com along with:

• Your Name
• Your Location (city, state, country)
• The recipe for your image (what actions you used, in what order, and at what strength, along with any other special stuff you did to the image)
• Two versions of the image – one straight out of camera, and the final version.  Please resize them down to 1000px on the wide end.  JPGs only.

By entering our contest, you agree to allow us to use your submitted images and your recipe, along with a photo credit, for promotional purposes on our website and in printed literature.

Our TRA Recipe contest through April 5, 2009, and we have some awesome prizes for the best images submitted.

The Dream Package from Into The Darkroom.  The first place winner will get a new template website, blog template, AND slideshow program from Into The Darkroom.  These are the people that designed the Totally Rad Actions website, the Boutwell Studio website, and Chenin’s Blog, and they do great work.  The retail value of this prize is approximately $750.

Check Out Into The Darkroom’s Website

Learn More About The Dream Package

One Year in the Wedding Chicks online directory, and one month on the site’s front page.  Wedding Chicks is a bridal blog that connects stylish brides with elite wedding vendors.  This prize’s value is approximately $300.

Take a Peek at the Wedding Chicks Website

A brand-new ShootSac, with your choice of custom cover!  The ShootSac is the first lens bag designed to pick up where your camera bag leaves off.  Lenses, batteries, flashcards & necessities are comfortably at your fingertips.  Plus, you can customize the bag with stylish custom covers.  The value of this prize is approximately $179.

Learn more about ShootSac.

Born Feb 16 just before 2am.  8 lbs, 3oz, 19″ long.  Our beautiful, little baby boy.  Welcome to the world, little man!

Please include a self-addresed, stamped envelope, and allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.  Offer void where prohibited.  Check your state and local laws before entering.