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For the most part a photographer only needs a few software programs in order to have a fully functioning digital darkroom. While there are dozens of possibilities I have three software packages that I strongly recommend: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop Elements and Tiffen’s Df/x. I suggest starting with Photoshop Lightroom ($299). Lightroom is both an image manipulation program and one of the best image file archive managers on the planet. In every instance Lightroom is where I begin the moment I have images that I need to move from a memory card onto my computer.
Many years ago I came across what is probably the best way to learn composition, and also the hardest one to actually use, even though the concept is very simple. You take one camera body, one lens, one roll of film, (or memory card) and you pick one subject to shoot. Then go out about town, or around the countryside, and fill that one roll with that one subject only, but take your time when doing it. Rushing things just leads to even more mistakes that may not have anything to do with composition, but will lead to confusion. You want to learn from “how” you did the shooting, and not because you were rushed to do it.
Ever take a photograph of a winter landscape and have it come out looking pale grey or even light blue? That is the camera’s white balance misbehaving, and while you can go ahead and manually “tinker” with the different settings, there is a much easier approach. Before we go into a discussion about that approach, however, let’s take a quick second to understand the underlying problem. We already said that it all begins with a bit of bad behaviour by a camera’s white balance setting. This is the method that your camera uses to interpret pure white, or more officially, it is the way that the camera is interpreting the colour “temperature” of the light source.
If you’d like to shoot weddings like the pros do, you need to take a few tips from them. They’ve learned the easiest way to do things and the most effective ways of getting stunning shots. Unless you want to learn from the school of hard knocks, take a few tips. Weddings are the biggest day in the lives of most couples and it needs to be perfect. You only get one chance; there are no retakes and once the day is over so is the opportunity. So, get it right first time and you’ll have a happy bridal couple, less stress and money in your bank account. Create a shot list – this is absolutely vital and every pro uses one.
CanvasPeople is offering a free 8×10 canvas print for the month of March as a way to introduce more people to their service. Users can either choose the free 8×10 print or receive 50$ off a larger print. If you have ever wanted to try printing one of your favorite photos on canvas, this is a very good opportunity. The only cost is shipping and handling (which was $14.95 for my order shipped to California). Their ordering process is very simple and convenient. A quality canvas print will deliver a matte-paper like contrast and color, but since there’s no glass over the print to reduce contrast and saturation, the colors remain much more vibrant when viewed from a distance.
This post is somewhat off the topic of photography, but I always wanted a page on this site where I could post items and information as the sport of wingsuit flying progresses. Plus, a lot of people have emailed me inquiring as to how one learns to fly a wingsuit – so I thought I would try to assemble some information. Wingsuit flying is new sport where participants fly their bodies up in the sky with the assistance of a special jumpsuit called a wingsuit which provides winged surfaces between the arms and legs for lift. Due to the speed at which wingsuits fly, a parachute is necessary for a safe landing.
The Evocative Image – A Photographer’s Guide to Capturing Mood, by Andrew S. Gibson is an interesting and very valuable eBook offering techniques you can use to inject mood and atmosphere into your photographs. The example photos are truly amazing along with the explanations of how they were captured. It is relatively easy to take […]
If you’re planning on buying a fisheye lens, there are three things you need to know before making your purchase. Knowing these three things can save you a lot of money and disappointment, not to mention time wasted. First, you need to know the difference between a fisheye lens and an ordinary wide angle lens. […]
It’s become commonplace to hear about the new camera release from one of the top brands, boasting about their new 22, 24, or 28 megapixel sensor. It’s a never-ending race that keeps the customer gasping for breath—and with a hole in the wallet. The reality is that megapixels were never that important and much less […]
New York portrait photographer Edward Verosky has just released a second eBook on professional portrait photography tips and techniques. In this book, there are very important and fundamental lessons to learn about building up your work and bringing the most out of your subjects. It focuses on the fact that it is imperative for working photographers to differentiate themselves from others in order not to drown in a sea of competition where so many are producing work absent of any unique style or vision. Amateurs have even more reason to explore the artistic areas of portraiture since it is a part of the amateur heritage to do so.
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