Category: Photography

6 Tips for Better Engagement Photos

When doing engagement photos, it is very important both to you and to the couple that everyone feels relaxed so that you can capture them being their truest selves. When your clients are relaxed and comfortable in front of your camera, it makes a huge difference in the images you capture and ultimately the client’s experience.

Here are a few tips that can help settle your nerves and your clients’ so that you rock the session and are able to photograph them at their best.

1 – HAVE A CONSULTATION BEFORE THE SESSION

Have a simple meeting, either in person or via email, where you and the couple can talk about what the session will entail. The who, where, what, when, and how of their engagement photos. A few questions can help you narrow down the location, or locations if you’re up for doing more than one, clothing changes, and perhaps special information about the couple.

Start this conversation by asking how their wedding is coming along and how they met. This gives you great insight as to who they are as a couple. In addition, it conveys to the couple that you are interested not only in the session but in them as people. Let the conversation flow between topics and session details.

Ask questions like, “What do you envision for the feel of your engagement photos? Something more earthy or perhaps a more urban feel?” This will help you get an idea of what kind of surroundings they want for their photographs as well as where they’d feel most comfortable for their session. Another great idea is to offer shooting at a location that is special to them, so ask about that too.

Add something special just for them

Perhaps the place where they met, or where they went on their first date might be great locations if they are local and accessible. If they do reveal a place that is feasible, offer it up as one of the locations. They will love that you took interest in finding out such a place and recreating a special memory for them. If not, then go with the previous ideas and
narrow down some places where you like to shoot that go along with what they are envisioning for style and feeling.

Any additional details you can get during the consultation are key to helping you be more confident on the day of the shoot. Knowing a little more about the couple helps to have a few conversation starters as well, which will become important on the day of the engagement photo shoot.

Each couple is different, so it helps when you can get to know them on a more personal level rather than showing up at the location and having an awkward beginning. It isn’t unheard of for clients to turn into friends after photo sessions!

2 – PREP YOURSELF BEFORE THE SESSION

Now that you have the details of the session planned out and a little insight as to the personality of the couple, it’s time to begin preparing yourself for the session.

Aside from the obvious gear preparations, it’s good to go over some inspirational photos that you would like to try. Have at least 10 on your phone so that you can look at them during the session when you need a refresh or want to try something new. Having a set of images to help you with ideas for posing or lighting will make you more confident on the day of the session in the event you get stuck with a pose or need to change it up.

It’s a good idea to confirm with the couple a few days before the session and ask them if they have any questions for you. Being accessible reassures the couple that they have chosen a friendly photographer, which in turn helps them to feel more comfortable when the time comes to be in front of your camera.

Get to the chosen location early, even if it’s a place where you have shot before. Going early can help you make a plan of where you want to start shooting and move through your session. Having a plan makes the session run smoothly without losing momentum.

3 – BE A FRIEND, NOT JUST A PHOTOGRAPHER

You’ve already set the groundwork for being friendly during the pre-session consultation and the confirmation and now it’s time to really be genuine.

When the couple shows up, don’t start shooting right away. Spark up a conversation with them. You will have much more relaxed clients this way and it will also relax you a bit if you’re nervous. Which, by the way, is completely normal! Plenty of seasoned photographers still get nervous before big shoots.

During the entire session, keep the conversation going. In between locations, clothing changes, and through the entire session. It relieves a little bit of the awkwardness between the clients and the professional, you. It speaks volumes when you can give your clients more of a personal experience by finding common interests, discussing the news, or even sports, anything. When your client has a good time, especially if they are nervous during the session, talking about common interests will aid in getting genuine expressions.

4 – KEEP THE SESSION MOVING

Each session and each couple is different. It’s important to keep the session moving smoothly throughout or the couple could tire quickly or become bored. This is why getting to the location and making a plan of where to shoot is so handy. Try different places within the location to shoot, offer clothing changes when you feel you’ve got enough with what they arrived wearing.

If a pose isn’t working, don’t say so, otherwise, you could make the couple feel like they’re doing something wrong. Keep going and try a different pose. Make sure that when you get a great shot, show them! This can build their confidence quickly and help them be more engaged during the session.

5 – BE IN CHARGE BUT ALLOW YOUR CLIENTS TO BE PART OF THE PROCESS

Whether this is your first engagement session or you’re worried because sessions sometimes go in a different direction than you hope – you simply need to take charge.

Direct the couple by showing the poses you’d like for them to do by demonstrating them first. Allow yourself to direct the flow of the session.

It sounds scary, however, you are the photographer. You’re the one who knows what to do and taking charge of the session speaks to the couple that you are confident in your work. Over time, it will become natural to you.

Once your clients become more relaxed in front of your camera, they will offer ideas, poses, and locations. Always allow them to be part of the creative process, as it makes them more confident and offers up more shooting opportunities where they are just being themselves.

6- HAVE FUN

You got into photography because it was fun for you, so why not have fun during your session as well? You should enjoy the shoot as much as the couple.

If you feel nervous that the session tends to go stale, have the couple do actionable poses. For example, have them dance, walk, tell each other a secret, or whisper something funny into their loved one’s ear. This will unwind them and you’ll be able to capture their real expressions.

Conclusion

All of these tips are here to help calm your nerves and allow the clients to be themselves in front of your camera. Being prepared, friendly, having a good momentum during the session, and most importantly, having fun all contribute to real expressions and real moments. Your clients will appreciate how real and relaxed you made them feel during their session and in turn, refer you to more people!

The post 6 Tips for Better Engagement Photos by Jackie Lamas appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

January 14, 2018
Apple Photos: An Under-Appreciated Post-Processing Software Powerhouse

As the market for digital cameras has intensified in recent years, the options available for post-processing software has exploded as well. There are dozens of great options for casual, enthusiast, and professional image-makers who are looking to get the most out of their images.

Programs like Lightroom, Luminar, CaptureOne, Affinity Photo, GIMP, DarkTable, and AfterShotPro, are all highly capable photo editors. It can be a daunting proposition to try and pick one that’s right for you.

Fortunately for Mac users, there is a fantastic option already available to you for free sitting right on your own computer. Apple Photos is a program you might have overlooked in the past, but with steady improvements over the years, it is now a serious contender when it comes to post-processing your pictures.

A Brief History

The story of Apple Photos starts in 2002 with Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs introducing an all-in-one program to let users catalog, edit, and share their digital pictures. This new software called iPhoto was revolutionary at the time, giving casual users a way to manage all their digital imaging assets in a way that was fast, simple, and easy to understand.

I used iPhoto from the first version that was released and even now it’s kind of amazing how well that initial offering worked, though it was clearly lacking many features we take for granted today. A few years later Apple waded into the professional photo editing market with Aperture, a program that was like iPhoto on steroids and was seen as a direct competitor to Adobe Lightroom.

Merger of Aperture and iPhoto

As the decade wore on and Apple saw how much people were using their mobile phones for taking and editing pictures it decided to kill off Aperture and iPhoto and replace them with a single program called Photos. This new application offered users a way to manage, edit, and share their photos much in the same way iPhoto and Aperture functioned, but also gave people the ability to sync their photo collections and even individual photo edits across all their devices.

With Photos, it was possible to crop a picture on your iPhone and then have that same cropped version of the picture show up on your Apple desktop a few seconds later – a syncing nightmare that was virtually impossible using the panoply of programs previously available from Apple.

Evolution of Photos

One significant tradeoff when consolidating apps and enabling cross-device editing with Apple Photos was a lean feature set that, compared to Aperture, was downright anemic and even came up short when compared to iPhoto. Photographers hopeful for a fresh new program with all of their favorite features were dismayed and abandoned Apple Photos in droves only to rush headlong into the welcoming arms of Adobe, Macphun (now called Skylum), Corel, and other developers.

However over time, Apple has delivered on its promise to improve Photos and with each iteration, the program becomes more capable, not to mention speedier, than ever before. It can now hold its own against many of the other post-processing software options available on the market. It’s safe to say that if you haven’t used Apple Photos in a while you might be surprised at how good the current version is, and if you have never even tried the program you are in for a real treat.

Photo management simplified

The core principle of Apple Photos has always been simplicity. Even back to the original days of iPhoto, Apple’s philosophy has been to make their image-editing programs as easy to use as possible. I can personally attest to this with my dad as an example.

He is a retired railroad mechanic who prefers working on small engines in his garage instead of tinkering on the computer. But he is perfectly capable of connecting his Canon Rebel T4i to his Mac, offloading his images into Photos, and post-processing them using the tools provided. Underlying that simplicity is a powerful set of editing tools that started out all too basic but have grown to be quite competent over time.

One library

The Photos app is built around the concept of a unified photo library, such that any photos you take on your phone automatically sync with your computer and vice versa. Because of that, the interface looks much the same whether you’re on a desktop, laptop, iPad, or iPhone.

Your pictures aren’t stored in the cloud per se, but Apple does use its cloud-based infrastructure to sync all your pictures while keeping the actual image files stored on your individual devices. To enable this all you have to do is click a checkbox in Apple Photos on your desktop and flip a slider on your iPhone and the program will take care of the rest.

Organization

Photos organizes your images based on time data and does its best to group pictures into what it calls Events based on time and location data. Scroll through your library and you will see images grouped by categories such as People, Places, Favorites, and Memories as well as Albums which are collections of photos that you create manually or automatically using metadata (i.e. all photos with the keyword “Vacation” and “Kansas”.)

Unlike Google Photos and some other cloud-based services, none of your images are analyzed by Apple for the purpose of gathering data that can be used in advertising. A boon to privacy advocates and others who just want to keep other companies away from their pictures.

Sorting and viewing images

However, some degree of machine learning is present in Photos, as the software attempts to group your images automatically with Memories based on time and location data. It also automatically looks for faces which it uses to populate the People category.

If you have ever scrolled through your near-endless Lightroom Library you might be surprised at how well Photos handles the presentation element of photo management. You can use the options buttons at the top of the screen to organize your images by Photos, Moments, Collections, or Years. All your images are available in each view, but the Photos app groups them dynamically so as you scroll up and down you will see them grouped together in specific ways. If you click Moments your images are grouped almost like day-to-day activities, whereas Collections shows photos in larger groups and Years literally displays an entire year’s worth of images at once.

Grouping options for how to display your thumbnails – Moments, Collections or Years (shown here).

All this is fairly simple and intuitive, and if you have a trackpad on your Mac you can mimic the pinch-to-zoom feature found on iPhone and iPad devices to zoom in and out of your entire photo library. Longtime Lightroom users will note several deficiencies in this design methodology, though, and a host of missing features like Compare, Survey, and fine-grained sorting criteria not to mention Lightroom’s far superior Library Filter.

This illustrates the point that Apple Photos is not intended to be a full-on replacement for Lightroom. Nevertheless, it can be a good starting point for amateurs or even enthusiasts looking to get a little more control over their image organization.

Powerful post-processing editing features

Image management is one thing, but post-processing or editing is a whole other matter entirely. Unfortunately, this is where Apple Photos has traditionally fallen flat. The first version of Photos had an editing feature set that was positively anemic and downright infuriating to longtime users of Aperture. They felt they had been hung out to dry by Apple, and it was not even worth comparing to programs like Lightroom, Photoshop, and others.

But like the fabled tortoise racing against the hare, Apple has steadily injected an ever-growing list of editing tools into Photos. It’s now not only competent but worth considering for anyone who wants to dive deeper into more professional-style editing.

Basic and advanced tools

Select a photo and click the Edit button to open up a cornucopia of editing tools. They cover all the basic options you would expect to find in any prominent image editor and even a few surprises. Of course, you can perform basic edits like Crop, Red Eye Removal, and White Balance and if that’s all you want then you’re good to go.

There are also highly advanced tools like RGB Levels and RGB Curves in which individual color channels can be edited, Selective Color that lets you adjust Hue, Saturation, and Lightness for Red, Yellow, Green, Cyan, Blue, and Magenta colors. Also present is a Noise Reduction option that allows for Luminance and Color noise, and even a Lightness tool with the freedom to adjust seven different parameters including Exposure, Brilliance, Highlights, Shadows, and Contrast.

Filters

Apple Photos also has a nice array of filters. They work just like those in Instagram or other programs like Luminar, with one-click presets such as Vivid, Dramatic, Mono, Noir, and more. Add to this a pretty good auto-enhance option and the ability to undo edits one at a time or revert to the original with one click, and you can see how this program might be worth a second look. I remember using it when it first launched and was immediately put off by its overly-simplistic workflow and lack of features. But now I would honestly recommend it to anyone who is considering buying a subscription to Lightroom or investing in any other image editing post-processing software options on the market.

Apple Photos is not perfect, but it could suit your needs better than you might realize. The best part is it’s absolutely free if you own a Mac computer, iPhone, or iPad. There’s something special about editing a picture on your desktop, picking up your phone and seeing all your changes automatically synced, and then realizing it’s all happening without any monthly fee or another type of additional payment.

Caveats and Limitations

All of this editing and organizational finesse comes with a rather large asterisk or two, as there are some significant drawbacks to Apple Photos that savvy photographers need to be aware of.

The most important is that this is an Apple-only program, so if you use Windows or Linux you’re out of luck. The mobile version is firmly ensconced in Apple’s infamous walled garden which means it never has been, and never will be, available for Android phones.

Also despite the lack of a subscription model, if you want to take full advantage of the iCloud-based storage options you will need to shell out some cash for iCloud Drive. Apple only gives users a paltry 5GB for free. Fortunately, iCloud plans are quite reasonable, and I am perfectly happy with my 50GB plan that only costs 99 cents per month.

If you want to take full advantage of Photos’ cloud-based options, you might want to purchase additional storage. Fortunately, this is optional and it’s entirely up to you whether you want to do this, and how much storage to buy.

What’s missing

Finally, there are some notable features missing from Apple Photos that users of Lightroom, Luminar, and other apps will likely bemoan – and rightly so. There’s no history panel, no brush adjustments, no radial or graduated filters, no way to share presets, no plugin architecture for third-party expandability, no way to sync edits across multiple photos, and the list goes on.

Even simply exporting a photo can be frustrating. You only have a few options available by default like sharing to online social media sites or setting an image as a desktop background. These can be customized albeit not nearly to the same level as many other programs. It’s safe to say that if you want to give Apple Photos a chance it’s best to keep your expectations in check.

Unless you want to post images directly to Facebook or Flickr, you might get a little frustrated with the default sharing options.

Conclusion

I hesitate to make a solid recommendation regarding Apple Photos because it really is dependent on the needs of each individual user. Other than to say a once low-end unimpressive program without much going for it has now been transformed to the point that I think it could really be useful for a lot of people.

While it’s still not up to par with its Aperture ancestor and continues to lag behind a lot of other options on the market in terms of features and capability, it’s a free, powerful, highly effective photo manager and editor that just might surprise and delight you if you give it a chance.

The post Apple Photos: An Under-Appreciated Post-Processing Software Powerhouse by Simon Ringsmuth appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

January 13, 2018
Weekly Photography Challenge – Macro or Close-Up Photography
Last week’s challenge was to get out and shoot some winter photography. Maybe you already tried some macro then – if not, now’s your chance.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Weekly Photography Challenge – Macro

Close-ups of snow, icicles, frost patterns, etc., can be stunningly beautiful. So bundle up, grab your macro lens or extension tubes and a tripod and get out there and shoot some winter macro photography.

Need more help? Try these dPS articles:
- 7 Different Ways to Approach Macro Photography
- 5 Quick Tips for Outdoor Macro Photography
- How to Get Stunning Macro Photos with Your Mobile Phone
- Behind the Scenes of Marvellous Macro Insect Imagery
- Tips for Depth of Field Control in Macro Photography
- 5 Macro Photography Tricks to Make Your Images Stand Out
- Getting Started with Abstract Macro Photography
Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Macro or Close-Up Photography by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
January 13, 2018
Beginner Photography Mistakes to Avoid
When you’re just starting out in photography there are so many things to learn it can be overwhelming. Here are two videos with some tips on common photography mistakes and how to avoid them.

Mistakes to avoid as a beginning photographer

This video by Serge Ramelli will give you 6 things to avoid doing as you start out in photography.
1. Shooting during the daytime instead of sunset or sunrise.
2. Not using an ND filter when shooting the ocean.
3. Not using a tripod for night photography.
4. Putting too many elements in your photo, not telling the story well.
5. Shooting JPG instead of Raw.
6. Not using Lightroom or its presets.
10 More beginner mistakes to avoid

If you’ve got those things covered, here are 10 more beginner mistakes to avoid including:
1. Forgetting something at home.
2. Not arriving early enough to the shooting location.
3. Not scouting the location ahead of time.
4. Shooting in the wrong lighting (see mistake #1 above from Serge!).
5. Not moving around enough.
6. Images that aren’t sharp (use a tripod, etc.)
7. Going home too early. Stay later than you planned.
8. Forgetting to set your camera back to zero (default settings, ISO, exposure compensation, etc.)
9. Don’t worry so much about shooting in Manual mode.
10. Not getting close enough to the subject, being too shy.
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The post Beginner Photography Mistakes to Avoid by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
January 12, 2018
Tips for Making the Most of Morning Light for Portraits

There’s something about taking photos in the magical morning light that makes my heart so happy. Maybe it’s because of the extra effort it takes to be outside in the crisp morning air when your family is still in bed. It could also be because morning sessions are more uncommon, so they feel a little more special. Most likely it’s because that soft, beautiful light just glows, and looks just a little different from the light later in the day, or evening.

If you’re a night owl, and can’t imagine getting out of a nice warm bed just to take some pictures, let me try and convince you to give it a try. You might become a morning person, just for that incredibly gorgeous morning light.

Time it Right

The best time to start a morning session is right around sunrise. I have an app on my phone that will tell me what time the sun rises in my area on any date. I like to start about 15 minutes after sunrise. The light level is usually fairly low right at sunrise, so I give a little bit of time for things to lighten up before starting.

The nice thing about using that morning golden hour versus the evening golden hour is that you can take as much time as you need. In the evening you have to decide when it’s the exact right time to start. You want to use the best light right near sunset, but you don’t want to start too late and not have enough time before it’s too dark. If you start too early, you could be done before the beautiful golden sunset light shows up.

Morning light at sunrise takes care of that problem. You start with that gorgeous glowy light and shoot until you’re done. No light is ever wasted.

Morning Weather is Usually Good

Depending on where you live, you might have better luck with the weather in the morning. In my area, it’s usually less windy than it can get in the afternoon. Most mornings are calm and still. Oftentimes there’s a light hazy cloud cover that makes any shooting direction work, so you can use your backgrounds to their fullest extent.

More often the rain and storms come a little bit later in the day. It’s not always the case that you get beautiful weather in the morning, but more often than not, it’s perfect conditions for shooting.

The only negative would be during the colder times of the year when mornings are brisk, or even downright freezing. I just instruct my subject to dress warm, and I wear fingerless gloves and a coat with pockets, so I can try to keep my hands as warm as possible.

Morning Light has a Special Quality

There’s a softness to morning light that you just don’t see most afternoons and evenings. It feels like it wraps around the subject a little more, and has a bit less intensity compared to light later in the day. It can be easier to work with because you won’t have as much glare in your lens when backlighting (facing your subject away from the sun).

You can face your subject toward the sun easier too, because the light isn’t quite as harsh, so they don’t squint as much. The shadows on faces aren’t as pronounced, and everything feels a bit softer. The light isn’t usually as warm as it is in the evening, so sometimes I warm the photos up a bit more in post-processing, but there are times when the cooler light is simply stunning.

Be Different, Learn Something New

Many times when I’ve shared photos from a morning session, people have told me that they love the photos, but they don’t quite know what makes them so special. Most photographers are out there during the evening golden hour, and that little bit of difference you’ll see in a morning photo will set you apart from everyone else.

Your photos will have a quality to them that other photographers might not be able to put their finger on. I don’t do every photo session in the morning, in fact, most of my sessions are later in the day, but doing something different, outside of the norm, sets you apart from other photographers, and it also opens you up to more inspiration and creativity.

Every time we do something a little different, we learn new things, and sometimes discover something new that takes our photography to the next level. Shooting in the morning is just one of those things you can do differently, but it’s a big one. It might even be a game changer for you.

Wake Up

How do you convince your next photography subject to get up early in the morning and get ready for a photo session when they could be sleeping longer? How do you convince yourself to get out in the brisk morning air with your camera when you could be snuggled under the covers?

The best way to convince anyone is to look at the results. I’ve had clients get up at 4:00 am to be ready for a session because beautiful photos were more important than a little bit more sleep. They can always take a nap later. If you can convince one person to give it a try, you might convince a lot more to do it too, once they see those photos.

You will love the feeling of accomplishing something wonderful first thing in the morning, and then having the rest of the day to edit and play. So, set that alarm and give that morning light a try!

Are you a lover of a beautiful sunrise and glowing morning light? Share your morning photos, people or nature, in the comments. I’d love to see what you’ve captured while your neighbors were still in their pajamas!

The post Tips for Making the Most of Morning Light for Portraits by Melinda Smith appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

January 12, 2018
Photo Editing Software Options for Linux Users

Do you use Linux and wonder what your alternatives are when it comes to photo processing? Are you a photo enthusiast trying to find alternatives to your current software? Or perhaps you’ve read this far and still have no idea what I’m talking about—great! This article is for all of you.

Why Linux, and what is it anyway?

In short, Linux comes in a range of different flavours (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, etc.) but the common core in all of them is an operating system built primarily around free and open-source software. Many people choose Linux not only because it’s free, but also for the security and stability it offers, as well as the chance to gain more control over and knowledge about the software they use.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be a computer whiz to use Linux. All you need is some basic knowledge about how to use computers and a willingness to learn.

Even if you’re not a Linux user, you might still benefit from learning about some of the free Lightroom and Photoshop alternatives that are available by reading this article.

There are two ways to install software on Linux: the one that makes you look cool, and the software installation program. It’s up to you which you choose!

I’ve done all my photo processing in Linux since 2012, the same year I started working as a professional photographer. The main challenge was not that I haven’t been able to use Lightroom or Photoshop, but to find alternatives and choose between them.

This has involved a decent amount of research, so to help you on the way I’ve decided to collect my findings in this article. Hopefully this is a first step in your research process, leading you to a solution that works best for you.

As will become apparent soon, using Linux doesn’t even mean that you can’t use Lightroom, Photoshop, or any other program you prefer; it may just take a bit of tweaking. The important thing is to use something that can deliver what you need, not what others think you need.

Finding photo editing software that works for you is a continuous process.

Figuring out the alternatives

To choose the software that works best for you, you have to ask yourself what it is you’re looking for. Do you need a photo editor? Do you want to be able to manage and catalogue your photos? Is it the ability to process RAW photos you’re after? Or maybe all of the above?

Some of the programs I’ll be presenting here can offer everything, others are only suited to specific tasks. I’m going to be focusing on solutions that offer photo editing (including RAW processing), and less on photo management software.

The other important thing is to know what’s out there, and that’s the goal of the rest of this article.

Alternative 1: Using software that works directly in Linux

These are the programs that can be installed directly on your system. All of these are open-source and free, and they work in Linux, Windows, and Mac OS, unless otherwise stated.

Darktable

Darktable allows you to manage and process photos, including RAW images, in Linux and Mac OS. The two main tasks are separated into two spaces; the light-table for managing and cataloguing, and the darkroom for editing and processing photos.

As you may have noticed, the name of the software is a combination of those two words, just like Lightroom. It’s a powerful and non-destructive editor which requires a bit of time to get used to, but for anyone who has ever used post-processing software before, it’s not a problem.

Raw Therapee

Raw Therapee is a post-processing program for RAW images which works in most operating systems. It can be used to manage photos, but if you have a big collection, it’s good to combine it with software specifically aimed at image management, such as DigiKam. It’s easy and intuitive to use.

Rawstudio

With Rawstudio you can process RAW images, as the name suggests. It works in Linux and Mac OS, but not in Windows. It’s especially good for bulk processing and it can read essentially any RAW image format. It doesn’t support the latest versions of Debian, so if you’re using Ubuntu and have a newer version than 13.10, it won’t work for you.

Photivo

Photivo is another RAW image processing program. I’ve never used it, but it supposed to be good once you learn how to handle it, which might take a bit of time due to the number of different options. You can’t manage or catalog your photos with it, but if it sounds tempting anyway, you can combine it with one of the many great stand-alone photo management programs out there.

GTKRawGallery

GTKRawGallery is a lightweight program for managing and processing RAW images. It doesn’t work very well if you’re processing a lot of photos, but it’s faster for single image edits. It works in Linux and Windows, but not in Mac OS.

Corel AfterShot Pro3

Corel AfterShot Pro3 is the only commercial processing software I’m going to mention, as it’s the only one that works directly in Linux and provides a good alternative to software such as Lightroom.

It’s not open-source, unlike all the other software mentioned so far. But, there is a free 30-day trial, which might help you decide between alternatives. It’s the program I use for my everyday and professional photo management and post-processing needs.

GIMP

It’s difficult to talk about photo editing software in Linux without mentioning GIMP. This program won’t read RAW files without some tweaking, so many use it for post-post-processing, such as saving in a variety of different formats, retouching, and even drawing.

It’s free, open-source, works in many different operating systems, and with the right add-on, it can also open RAW files.

Alternative 2: Using tools developed for other operating systems

If you have a favorite piece of software that doesn’t work in Linux, don’t despair! There are a few ways for you to use popular programs like Lightroom and Photoshop without giving up on Linux.

1. Virtual machine

A virtual machine is a software that makes it possible for your computer to act like another computer, it basically works like a second physical computer in your operating system. You can install the operating system of your choice in the virtual machine, and use it as if it were, for instance, a Windows computer.

VirtualBox is a free, open-source virtual machine I use when I really need to run a program in Windows.

My virtual machine running Windows 7 on my Linux computer.

Apart from making it possible to install software that only works in non-Linux operating systems on your Linux machine, a virtual machine is useful compared to having separate partitions, because you don’t have to reboot to use it and you can easily share files between systems, have a joint clipboard, etc.

The drawbacks are that the virtual machine won’t be as efficient at using the available hardware as a normal machine. That can prove to be a problem for big and heavy programs such as Photoshop and Lightroom (but with a modern computer you’ll probably be okay).

2. Wine

Wine is a free, open-source interface that lets you run Windows software in Linux. Unlike a virtual machine, Wine doesn’t work like a separate computer; instead, it makes the software think it’s in Windows. That also means you don’t get the added security of a virtual machine, where the program is running on a virtual computer instead of directly on yours.

Boosting productivity with Wine.

One great thing about Wine is that you can run software for different Windows versions; backward compatibility is better than in Windows itself. However, all Windows software won’t necessarily run in Wine, and getting a program to work can sometimes involve lots of tinkering.

PlayOnLinux is a free, open-source tool that takes the hassle out of setting up programs in Wine. CrossOver is a similar option but it’s proprietary and is commercial – on the other hand, that means you have someone you can call if things aren’t working.

Conclusions

As you can see, being a photographer and Linux user is not at all incompatible. There are many different alternatives out there. Also, it’s always nice to find great, supported, and constantly developed photo processing software that is also free!

What software do you use for your photo processing, and why? Do you have more alternatives to add to this incomplete list? I would love if you shared your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

The post Photo Editing Software Options for Linux Users by Hannele Luhtasela-el Showk appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

January 11, 2018
The Importance of Diversification as a Photographer

There’s an idea that has been perpetuated, however unintentionally, that photographers do one thing and one thing only. The illusion is that someone who carries the title of “professional photographer” must simply make photographs, sell them, and that is the sole source of their income.

It’s true that there are some of us who do in fact make our way exclusively through our photography as an end in itself. I feel that most if not all of us camera jockeys (especially the landscape and nature types) hold as an ultimate goal the notion that one day we can reach a point in our careers when our photographs alone can carry us through life.

A few years back I was happy to learn and am equally glad to tell you now, that most if not all photographers are extremely diversified in the way they make a living from photography. Even most of the greats…from Ansel Adams to Cartier-Bresson, did other forms of photo-related work until they become famous enough to concentrate on their photography as a full-time job.

Almost every photographer diversifies to some extent. In this article, we’re going to talk about why it’s so important to branch out into other areas of photography beyond just making photos.

The Art of Diversification

It’s not generally disclosed to us when we first start out in photography that the majority of professional shooters don’t simply make their living from selling prints. This is especially true during these enormously competitive days when everyone with a cell phone is a “professional” photographer.

The truth is, it’s just plain difficult to make money from the sale of prints alone. You have to diversify in order to survive. The great thing is, if you’re truly in love with photography, everything that you do that centers around your beloved medium doesn’t seem like work. And it’s that word, “work”, that makes the world go round.

Diversifying yourself means that you will likely need to take a tiny step just outside the perimeter of your comfort zone. You must actively be on the watch for new opportunities to either market yourself through new outlets and to investigate what possibilities might be available to you. The key is to not limit yourself just because a certain opportunity is new to you or because it may not involve actual camera work.

Ways to Diversify Yourself

You may be thinking, “Alright, I need to diversify…but how and with what?” This goes back to what we spoke about a little earlier about how today’s world of digital photography has become more far-reaching than ever before. There is an incredible number of new ways for you to branch out into other areas of photography. Really, you are only limited by your ambition and your willingness to seek out brand new streams of creativity and dare I say, fresh revenue.

The most rewarding method to diversify yourself and your horizons, is by helping your fellow photographers through artistic and technical education.

I got my own start in the photographic educational world right here at Digital Photography School. That opened up amazing new opportunities for me to not only expand myself as a photographer but also to help others who are just beginning their own journeys. Look for ways to give back to your peers and teach what you know. This could be through writing, giving photography workshops, educational videos, and even gear reviews.

By no means are these the only ways to branch out and diversify yourself. The key is to start looking for the outlets to begin with. Once you do, you might be shocked to learn about all the ways photography impacts people’s lives beyond the obvious.

If you’re not keen on the educational route (you should really try it) then keep searching and be open to other areas of enrichment. Start a newsletter showcasing your work and link to gear you use (there are some great affiliate programs out there to help you make an income that way). Try blogging about your photo outings. Building a simple blog space is easier than ever these days. Most importantly, don’t allow yourself to grow stagnant and stop looking for ways to grow.

Some Final Thoughts….

Is it possible to make a living from only selling prints or through only making photographs? Absolutely. Depending on your own genre of photography it could be more or less difficult. Generally, the majority of photographers whose main income does, in fact, come from print sales find themselves looking for other ways to incorporate photography as a part of a larger professional whole.

I found that I loved teaching others about photography and writing about all the aspects of making photographs. This led me to produce my own Lightroom presets and a whole host of other unlikely photography related jobs that I could never have imagined were possible only four or five years ago.

The most important thing to remember is that diversifying yourself and your talents can do nothing but good and help you to grow as a photographer. Never stop looking for ways to advance yourself not only monetarily but also creatively in your work. Branch out. Reach out. Carpe consequat…seize the photography.

The post The Importance of Diversification as a Photographer by Adam Welch appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

January 11, 2018
Best 6 Cameras to Buy Under $300

With the global digital camera market expected to surpass $ 2 billion by 2021 (study by Technavio), no wonder the market is crowded with different digital cameras at different price points. Big market players such as Panasonic, Canon, Sony, FujiFilm, Casio, Kodak or Olympus are consistently launching new products and banking upon advanced photography trends such as large optical zooms, bigger Continue Reading

The post Best 6 Cameras to Buy Under $ 300 appeared first on Photodoto.

Photodoto

January 11, 2018
3 Tips for Setting Boundaries to Avoid Burnout in Photography

Whether you’re a professional photographer or a hobbyist, there have likely been times when you’ve felt ready to throw in the towel and quit photography forever. Those feelings are normal and are usually the result of added stress from things like a looming deadline or a project that you don’t feel prepared to tackle.

Often, once the added stress subsides, so does the desire to quit photography. However, if that stress becomes chronic it can cause physical, emotional, and mental burnout that’s much more difficult to bounce back from.

One of the most effective things that photographers of all levels can do to prevent and avoid burnout is to set appropriate boundaries. In this article, we’ll discuss a few different boundaries that you may want to consider setting now in order to protect yourself from future burnout.

1. Set Office Hours

Between smartphones and wi-fi access, it’s easy to be available all the time. It’s easy to respond to a quick text while you’re on vacation. Replying to a midnight email when you’re already awake doesn’t seem like a big deal.

On one hand, being accessible to your clients (whether paid or unpaid) can make them feel appreciated and enhance the client experience. On the other hand, it can also lead to exhaustion and burnout because it always feels like you’re “on duty”.

It’s actually okay not to be available 24/7. In fact, it’s more than just okay. Setting boundaries in terms of availability is crucial to a healthy balance between your work and your personal life.

Consider setting business/office hours, and do your best to stick to them! The client experience is primarily driven by the quality of the service they receive rather than the speed with which they receive it. Most current or potential clients will be satisfied to receive a response within 24-48 hours.

Just because you happen to see a midnight email pop through doesn’t mean you need to respond to it right away! If you’ve always been immediately accessible and are concerned about making this transition, it’s easy to set an auto email or Facebook Messenger reply to let potential clients know that you’ve received their inquiry and when they can expect a response back from you.

2. Build in Downtime

I know as well as anyone that it can be really difficult to build downtime into your schedule because doing so often feels like you’re either losing opportunities or income. However, when you’re very busy with photography, it’s important to remember to schedule two kinds of downtime in order to prevent burnout – processing time, and days off.

In the spring, summer, and fall, it can be tempting to book photo sessions every night and weekend. It’s not a bad thing to fill your schedule, but don’t forget that your work generally isn’t done once you leave the session itself. Most sessions require some degree of processing time, which could include everything from culling, editing, social media posts, communication with your clients, and arranging for delivery.

When you’re creating your calendar of availability, don’t forget to factor in all the time you’ll spend after the actual session itself and build in that processing time (or plan to outsource it) accordingly.

In addition to processing time, I have discovered that there’s tremendous value in blocking out a day or two on my calendar as personal days, even during my busiest season. For me, this is so important both in terms of self-care and also in terms of prioritizing and preserving relationships with my family.

Although I started doing this in order to save my own sanity, I’ve discovered that setting and communicating boundaries in terms of my availability has been helpful in other ways as well. Potential clients tend to book more quickly than they used to because they know that my availability is limited. I also receive far fewer last minute requests to reschedule to a different date or time for the same reason.

3. Communicate Your Timeline

Another small thing that can greatly reduce your stress and frustration is to communicate your timeline with your clients up front and let them know what they can expect in regards to receiving their images.

Make sure that this timeline is realistic. Factor in all scheduled sessions, your post-session processing time, and your scheduled downtime. By doing so, you’ll be able to give clients a more realistic timeline for receiving their images, while also decreasing the number of all-night editing sessions for you.

Obviously, the timeline for a professional photographer with five weddings in their queue is going to be totally different than a hobbyist photographer taking photos of a friend’s children. However, you don’t know who a client has worked with in the past, or what their expectations are as they enter into a session, which is why it’s so important to clearly communicate your timeline from the beginning!

Conclusion

Do you have any other advice for setting boundaries to avoid burnout in photography? Have you experienced it? What did you do to prevent it from happening again? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post 3 Tips for Setting Boundaries to Avoid Burnout in Photography by Meredith Clark appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

January 11, 2018
Your Guide to Understanding the Luminar 2018 Dashboard

With Macphun (soon to be Skylum) keen to promote Luminar 2018 as a replacement for Lightroom, there’s no doubt that there are many photographers who are interested in trying it. Unfortunately, that’s where the confusion may start as the Luminar interface is completely different from both Lightroom and Photoshop.

If you’re new to Macphun software then it can take time to find your way around the new interface. But if you’ve already used some of their other programs you’ll find that Luminar is very familiar, as Macphun tends to use the same layout in most of its software.

Note: The screenshots in this article are taken from the Mac version of Luminar 2018.

Luminar Dashboard Layout

When you open a photo in the program for the first time, you see something like this.

The photo you’re working on is displayed in the center. Presets are shown along the bottom (red). The side panel on the right is where you apply filters and create workspaces (green). There are more tools along the top (yellow). See the image below.

Let’s take a look at each of these in more detail.

Luminar Presets

One of the benefits of using Luminar is that it comes with lots of presets that you can use. If you don’t like presets, that’s okay – presets are optional and you can ignore them, or hide the panel if you do not use them.

Luminar presets are intelligent and each one comes with an amount slider. If you like a preset but the effect is too strong you can reduce the intensity. That means Luminar presets are adaptable and you can use them in a subtle way if that’s what you prefer.

Click on any preset to apply it to your photo (marked below). In this example, I selected a preset called Center of Attention. Afterwards, you’ll see an amount slider which you can set anywhere on a scale from zero to 100. You can also click on the star icon to add the preset to your list of favorites so you can find the ones you like quickly.

Click on the Categories button (marked below with the big red arrow) to reveal a list of preset categories available in your version of Luminar. Click on any of the categories to display the presets underneath.

Luminar displays Basic presets by default, but you can choose from categories such as Street, Dramatic and Portrait. You can also click on Favorites to show any presets you have marked as a favorite. Clicking on “Get More Presets” takes you to a page on the website where you can get additional sets of preset (some which are paid, and some that are free).

Workspaces, Layers, and Filters

If you’re a Lightroom user then Luminar’s right-hand panel will look familiar as they are similar to the panels in Lightroom’s Develop module. There’s a histogram at the top, layers underneath that (yes, Luminar has layers!) and then filters below.

This area might look a little bare at first, but that’s only because the workspace is clear. In Luminar, a workspace is a selection of filters displayed which are ready for you to use.

Filters are Luminar’s equivalent of the right-hand panels in Lightroom, or the various Layer adjustments available in Photoshop. The reason Luminar doesn’t display all the available filters is that there are so many of them (50 in total). Instead of showing all the filters, Luminar arranges them into workspaces. You can use one of Luminar’s built-in workspaces or you can create your own.

Click on the Clear workspace button (below) to choose one of Luminar’s built-in workspaces. Here, I chose the Portrait workspace. It has nine filters which, as you might expect, are useful for developing portraits.

Click on the gray arrow (marked below) to open up a filter and reveal its settings and sliders. The screenshot below shows the Develop filter, which is similar to Lightroom’s Basic panel.

Note: When working with RAW files this filter is called RAW Develop, and when working with JPGs is simply called Develop.

Another benefit of using workspaces is that you can customize them to display only the filters that you want to use. You can start by removing and adding filters to one of Luminar’s built-in workspaces.

To remove a filter click on the white arrow next to the filter name (marked below) and select Delete from the pull-down menu.

To add a filter, click the Add filters button (marked below). Luminar opens the Filters Catalog to the left, and they are displayed in helpful categories as you can see below like; Issue Fixers, Creative, etc. Here, you can select a filter to add it to your workspace.

When you hover over the name of a filter in the filters Catalog Luminar displays an information panel to tell you what the filter does.

To save the workspace, click on Custom workspace (marked below) and select Save As New Workspace. Now, your new workspace will appear in the list and you can select it any time you want.

The Luminar Toolbar

Finally, the Toolbar at the top of Luminar contains some extra commands and tools that you will find useful. Most of these are self-explanatory. When you hover the mouse over an icon Luminar displays a strip of text to explain what it does. In the screenshot below, you can see that the mouse pointer is over the Compare icon.

As you can see, the Luminar interface is simple and easy to use. The biggest obstacle to using Luminar is understanding how presets, workspaces, and filters work. Once you understand how to use these tools then you can start exploring the potential of Luminar to create beautiful photos.

Disclaimer: Macphun, soon to be Skylum, is a dPS advertising partner.

The post Your Guide to Understanding the Luminar 2018 Dashboard by Andrew S. Gibson appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

January 10, 2018