Professional Profiles
Patrick David
Pat David (Figure A-1) is a talented photographer as well as a free and open source software advocate. He can do incredible things with photographic images using the GNU Image Manipulation Program(or GIMP), G’MIC (a plug-in utility containing of a wide variety of filter effects for GIMP), and other open source photography software.
Figure A-1. Pat David creates incredible photographic images using open source software. (Used with permission © Patrick David 2015)
Mr. David is very active in his advocacy for GIMP. When asked about the advantages of working with free and open source software, his response was this: “The main advantage of F/OSS to me is the community and communication directly with the developers of the tools I use. I’ve been able to build friendships with the project developers and have been lucky enough to get some ideas integrated into the software. Everyone has been fantastic in the communities to learn from and it’s very rewarding to help others realize what they can accomplish using free software!”
Mr. David runs an open source photography site called PIXLS.US (https://pixls.us/). There is a Blog section that highlights upcoming ideas for articles, what’s happening in the world of photography, and similar topics. The Articles section (Figure A-2) is an excellent source of “how to” information on image editing using GIMP and other open source software programs. The Discuss section is a forum to connect with others in the open source photography community.
Figure A-2. PIXLS.US is a great learning resource for open source photography techniques. (Used with permission © Patrick David 2015)
Steve Czajka
Steve Czajka (Figure A-3) is another talented individual who harnesses the power of free and open source software. Mr. Czajka is the owner of Steve Czajka Calligraphy and the publisher of GIMP Magazine.
Figure A-3. Steve Czajka is the owner of Steve Czajka Calligraphy and the publisher of GIMP Magazine. (Used with permission © Steve Czajka 2015)
In addition to utilizing programs like GIMP, he also uses open source programs such as Scribus and Inkscape in the creation of his various works, including GIMP Magazine (Figure A-4). Mr. Czajka uses open source software for reasons similar to those of Patrick David. When asked about the advantages of open source software, his response was this: “I use open source software as it generally meets all of my needs. I also use it as I find the general performance is better than most commercial grade applications. And finally I use open source software so that I can share my experience back to the existing open source community of users and people who may be considering using open source software.”
Figure A-4. Steve Czajka uses open-source software such as GIMP, Inkscape, and Scribus in his work. (Used with permission© Steve Czajka 2015)
Mr. Czajka has been a graphic designer since the mid-1980s. With the aid of open source design software, he is capable of creating stunning greeting cards (Figure A-5). His work is proof that open source solutions are capable of producing high quality, professional results that often rival those produced by proprietary software.
Figure A-5. Steve Czajka produces stunning work using open source design software. (Used with permission © Steve Czajka 2015)
In addition to his aforementioned activities, Mr. also offers digital video courses in beginner and advanced calligraphy, desktop publishing using Scribus, and illustration using Inkscape. For more details, go to www.gimpmagazine.org and download a free copy of the latest issue of GIMP Magazine.