By Gavin Seim: (updated 12/09)
I often get email from photographers asking me to look at their work and give my thoughts. In ten seconds I can usually tell them how to improve it. There’s nearly always something we can make better, no matter how much photography experience we have.
Most rules are universal to photographers of any style, or any experience level. Of course rules are made to be broken, but general concepts help us stay on track. These are some favorites I keep in mind with my own work. Share yours in the comments and post some of your work in the forums to get some personal feedback. OK let’s roll.
- Omit needless objects:
- Simplicity is usually at the heart of a great image:
- Bold colors make bold photographs:
- If a background doesn’t add to the scene, change it:
- If a background is cluttered, blurring can make it perfect:
- Light. Where’s it coming from, how can you use it?:
- Don’t center everything. Use the rule of thirds. It works:
- Eyes! Watch em close, keep em sharp. They are emotion:
- Use the “Magic Hour”. Around sunrise and sunset magical light happens:
- Blur when used correctly, can be very powerful:
- Keep it vivid. Watch your shutter speed, and object movement:
- Space is valuable, but keep the scene clutter free:
- Harsh sun can be bad. Learn to manipulate it & use shade:
- Shadows are dramatic. Use them to add drama:
- Clouds are your friend, they add mood & filter light:
- Go with your gut. Have an idea? Then go for it:
- Use the new idea, but also grab those old reliable shots.
- If the weather is foul, it doesn’t mean the photos will be:
- Lines lead eyes. Pay attention to where they go / intersect:
- Change hours. Different times of day will transform a scene:
- Don’t underestimate the power of Burn and Dodge.
- Did I mention… Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity:
This award winning HDR image has a lot going for it. Notice the balanced intersecting lines, bold colors, and simplicity of the scene. It leads the eyes and tells a story.
Blurring was an effective tool here. The light at the ceremony was great but I wanted the focus on the couple. I used a Lensbaby to give me the soft edges and then some work in post production to make the viewers eye go right where I wanted. The blue could have also been done in post, but I enjoy the Lensbaby.
Simplicity and editing gave this simple Dandelion boldness. There's little to detract from the texture of the the flower and the infrared processing effect done with one of my presets in Lightroom gave it a unique look.
Look To the Wind, is one of my early (and most recognized) HDR portraits. The space gives it a wide cinematic feel and the simplicity of the deserted beach adds strength to the scene. Looking back however I should have watched my lines more. The way the horizon cuts at the shoulder is not ideal. I love the image, but if I was here again I would be up higher with the camera for an even more powerful comp.
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Today Adobe hosted a live online presentation of the up coming Creative Suite 4. It kinda failed on that side. For me (and others) it was so choppy and slow that it was unwatchable. Still the new features have been announced and though we’re not seeing a exact release date yet you can probably expect it soon.
There’s lots inside, though this update looks mainly evolutionary and not revolutionary. There’s some good videos over on the CS4 learning center that you can check out to get a visual.
A few of the things we’ll see are…
- Interface update:
- A new adjustment layers panel:
- Mask Panel:
- New 3d features:
- Updates to Bridge:
- Focus Blending (from multiple images):
- And one of my favorites, Content Aware image scaling (this is like the Liquid Resize product we saw talked about last year:
So, what do you think? Super. Blah. Overpriced. Are you gonna get it? What are your favorite new features? Post up those comments folks.
by Gavin Seim. Updated: For this weeks CPPOTW I want to talk about something really simple and useful. Many of us photographers use hotshoe flashes for light on the go. I use a Canon speedlights myself and though their great flashes, the light is still really harsh. The Lightsphere is quite simply a diffuser for that harsh light. It helps me have control.
It’s made by Gary Fong. I’ve never met him personally, but a lot of you know of him. I’ve tried more than one diffuser, and the Lightsphere (often called a Fong Dong) has worked the best. Many photographer will vouch for this, and I’m no exception. Yes you can tape a Tupperware container to a flash and probably get a similar result, but the Lightsphere is well designed and just works. For me, saving fifty bucks is not worth the headache every time I use my flash.
It’s simple and straight forward. Put it on your flash, and get better light. It’s kinda like a tiny softbox for your flash. The bottom line it that it works good. You can one up for around fifty bucks. I have both the clear and cloud versions myself (either will work fine), as well as most of the handy accessories and top pieces that help me gain further control of my light. I can light pretty big area with just a single on camera flash using this simple tool.
The classic model (pictured) has always worked great for me. There’s a new universal model now that uses a Velcro strap. I have both styles and both work well and are secure. The new version being universal is a tad more clunky, but I find it easier to attach and generally like it better.
The bottom line is that it works well and does what it’s supposed to without hassle. Besides all this it’s looks so weird that it’s become a great conversation starter. You can find it here on Amazon.
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Many of you who follow me on twitter know that I’ve had many stability issue’s with Lightroom 2. I know others have had problems as well. We’ve been waiting for some bug fixes.
Well Adobe Labs made 2.1 available today. It won’t be in automatic update yet, but it’s worth getting manually. Though I have not used it much yet I do see indications that there are some good improvements. Brushes may even be working smoother now. I won’t make this long. It’s time for bed. Go get it for yourself and share a comment about what you find.
~ Download LR 2.1 here ~
Thanks to Twitterer’s for letting us know…
Gavin Seim
It was bound to happen sooner or later, but sooner finally arrived A bit later that some had expected, but it came. The Canon 5D MK II is official, and looking really good. It’s been announced for Nov release. Here’s my favorite highlights.
Update 11/08: The MK II is said to be shipping mid to lat November. The date is not solid as of this update.
- 21.1-megapixel full frame sensor:
- DIGIC 4 processor, significantly lower noise, ISO range of 50 to 25,600:
- 1920 x 1080 HD video capture with mic input:
- 3.9 frames per second (14 frame Raw burst):
- 15-point Autofocus:
- 3.0-inch Clear View LCD:
- Live View Shooting:
- Auto Lighting Optimizer (helps even out harsh lighting):
- 10.0 & 5.2 megapixel sRaw mode:
- Integrated Cleaning System:
- Update: IR Wireless Trigger
- Update: Auto ISO settings
- Update: Image copyright metadata support
UPDATE2: With MK II Samples
Delivery is scheduled by the end of Nov. Body only price will be around $2700 USD. Kit version with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens will be around $3500 USD
On a personal note I can say that I can’t wait to get this in my hands. Canon took too long to get it here, but from the look of it they’ll be back in the contenders ring with Nikon. Since this is their #2 pro body. I’m curious what the new 1D will bring us. It can’t be far behind, since the specs on this would turn the current 1D into an electronic oldie. There’s a few more views of the new MK2 below. What ya think? Lets get the comments rolling.
Canon also announced:
Continue reading ‘Canon 5D Mark2 is here: Canon bites back (UPDATED)’
by Gavin Seim: With the introduction of Lightroom2, we now have localized corrections with brushes, for neat things like exposure, brightness, clarity etc. I made some pre-designed brushes for Burn, Dodge, Skin Soft ect. Nothing fancy, just simple functional brushes.
- Here’s How to install them…
Adobe has not made a really simple way to import the brushes, but it’s not that hard. Just follow these directions. This is a bit of a workaround. I’ll update it when Adobe makes an easier way. I’m on a Mac, but it will be basically the same for you Win users. Shortcuts are in parenthesis, and remember you can click any image for a big view.
Step 1:
Go to your “Develop” module (D) and open your presets panel on the left. Right click on one of your develop presets. This will bring up the contextual menu and from there click “Show In Finder” or on a Windows machine it should say something like “Show In My Computer”.
Alternatively, you can get to the presets storage folder by simply going to Lightroom Preferences (Settings) then to the preset tab. Click the button that says “Show Lightroom Presets Folder” (see image below).
Step 2:
Now you’ve brought up the folder that contains your develop presets. Now that we need to back out of that folder to it’s parent folder. In the parent folder you should find the “Local Adjustment Presets” folder. Simply drag, or paste your brush presets into the “Local Adjustment Presets” folder, then restart Lightroom.
Step 3:
When your back in Lightroom you can simply go to the “Develop” module (D) and select the “Adjustment Brush” (K) Click the the “Effect:” menu/drop-down. You’ll get the brushes drop-down and inside you’ll see a few defaults, as well as the new brushes you just added.
It’s that simple, using this method you can download and install brush presets to your hearts content. You can also save your own brush presets from the same menu.
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