I get email from photographers asking me to look at their photography, and give my thoughts. In ten seconds I can usually tell them how to improve it. Other pro’s can see things in my photo’s as well. There’s nearly always something we can improve, no matter the experienced we have.
Many rules are universal to any photographer, of any style, any experience level. Of course rules are made to be broken, but we all need inspiration and reminders. These are things that I try to remember in my own work, and I’ve spend the past week compiling them. Share yours in the comments, then post some of your work in the forums and get some personal feedback. OK let’s go…
- Omit needless objects:
- Simplicity is at the heart of great images:
- Bold colors make bold photographs:
- If a background is too cluttered, blur it:
- If a background still doesn’t add to a scene dump it:
- Light; Where’s it coming from? how can you leverage it?:
- Don’t center everything. Use the rule of thirds. It works:
- Eye’s? Watch them close. They control emotion:
- Blur used right can be magical:
- Keep it vivid. Watch your shutter speed, and movement:
- Crop out needless space:
- Harsh sunlight is usually bad:
- Shadows are dramatic. Use them:
- Clouds are your friend, they give shade & put you in control:
- Go with your gut. Have an idea? Then try it:
- If the weather is foul, it doesn’t mean pictures will be:
Images & Content By Gavin Seim
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.
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 580EX myself and though it’s a great flash, the light is still really harsh. The Lightsphere is quite simply a diffuser for that harsh light. It helps me have control.
The Lighsphere is 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.
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 really good. You can pick up a Lightsphere for around fifty bucks. I use the clear version myself, but their both good. I can light pretty big area with just a single on camera flash using this simple tool.
Gary also has a new diffuser called the Whale Tale. It looks good as well, though I have not tried it yet. When I get my hands on one and have an option I’ll let you know.
Check out the Lightsphere here…
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)’
With the introduction of Lightroom2, we now have localized corrections and brushes, for neat things like exposure, brightness, clarity etc. I (Gavin) made up some pre-designed brushes for Burn, Dodge, Skin Soft ect. Nothing fancy, just a few simple functional brushes.
- Now… Here’s How to install them…
Sadly Adobe has not made an easy way to import the brushes. It’s not that hard however. 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 “Show In My Computer” or similar.
Continue reading ‘Lightroom Brush Presets: How To Install & Get Them for Free’
