Category: Photography

What to do When it Starts to Rain – Are you Prepared to Keep Shooting?
I live in a country where the climate is described as temperate. This is just another euphemism for not so great weather! Typically, the seasons sort of merge together and the annual rainfall can dampen anyone’s spirits, pun intended.

It was when living in Paris, France for a couple of years that I truly understood the real meaning of the four seasons. Spring in Paris is actually spring – chilly but with clear blue skies and sunshine. And in summer, my favorite season, it is gloriously hot.

Rain and water, in general, are not a good mix when it comes to camera equipment, especially when it comes to your camera bodies and lenses. But there are times when you can get caught literally out in the rain. So what do you do? Panicking is an option, albeit not a practical solution.

In this article, I aim to provide some useful tips to keep you and your gear protected from the elements. The following tips are for when you find yourself caught out in a light rain shower that doesn’t last long, but want to stay on location to continue shooting.

The first thing to do before stepping outside your door is to check the weather forecast. If you have to travel to your chosen destination, the weather may change when you arrive, so be prepared for that. Most smartphones have a weather app built-in. I recently downloaded the rain radar app. It’s free too (for Android here – for iOS as well, just search for the right one for your area).

5 Useful items to have in case it rains
1. Rain pack and a towel
2. Lens hood
3. Camera rainsleeve or a Ziplock bag
4. Silica gel packs
5. Umbrella
Hiking boots plus my stuff bag which has my waterproofs and a towel.

Preparation is key here. Inevitably, when shooting outdoors, you are at the mercy of the weather. I have a designated rain pack that I can throw into the boot (trunk) of my car along with my hiking boots. I use this type of bag so as I can stuff my waterproofs and towel inside at short notice. Plus, the bag itself takes up so little space for storing away afterward.

My waterproofs & hiking boots ready to go in the boot of my car

My handy stuff bag, otherwise known as a dry bag for storing scuba fins!

The towel is for wiping surface water off your gear, especially your tripod legs, before collapsing the legs down. Or indeed yourself!

Handy anti-rain items for cameras

The humble lens hood can sometimes get overlooked for its usefulness. This small lightweight bit of plastic is key in not only preventing unwanted strong light hitting the lens at an angle, which produces lens flaring and ghosting. It can also help stop the rain from hitting the front of the lens element. Another bonus for the lens hood is protecting your expensive glass against a fall or knock.

Another permanent fixture in my camera bag is the camera rainsleeve by OP/TECH USA. However, I haven’t yet had to use it but knowing that it’s there is reassuring. It is probably the cheapest camera gear item you will ever buy. I think it’s worth paying $ 6.95 USD. It is inexpensive and takes up so little room in your camera bag. Of course, you can always improvise and use a ziplock bag instead.

Camera Rainsleeve by OP/TECH USA – a great inexpensive solution to protect your camera in the rain.

Moisture absorbent silica gel packets, the little 5g packets that are used for storage or dispatch of electronic products. I tend to keep them when I get a parcel delivered, so I have a couple in my camera bag at all times. You can also buy these silica gel packs online quite cheaply too.

Silica Gel Sachets – a handy item in your camera bag for keeping moisture away from your camera. Just make sure to check them from time to time for wear and tear. Inside the sachets are very small hard translucent gel balls, which can get lodged in unusual places.

Tip: Do check these little sachets from time to time for wear and tear. Recently, I had one split open not in my camera bag but in my laptop case. I tried to insert a flash drive into the USB Port. The USB key wouldn’t insert completely. Thankfully, I didn’t try to force it. I couldn’t see anything obvious when I checked the USB Port. However, when I got a flashlight to have a better look. I could see this very small translucent ball stuck in the corner. Luckily, I was able to get it out without damaging the USB Port.

Cover yourself too

Last but not least on my list is the ubiquitous umbrella. If you are by yourself, you might be able to hold a small umbrella to protect your camera while shooting. A little awkward at best but it could work in a pinch. On the other hand, if you are with someone else. It’s ideal, as he/she can hold the umbrella over you and your camera.

Umbrellas also act to protect your subjects from getting wet. On one occasion, I used my shoot-through-white umbrella to protect my model from getting wet. It also acted as a great backdrop for the shot.

Girl holding a white see thru umbrella that I used to keep my model dry and it provided a great backdrop too.

Tip: An umbrella can be used as a great prop for an image. For example, a red umbrella or a differently shaped umbrella can really add an interesting dimension to your image.

Summary

Shooting outdoors does indeed bring its own challenges but with a bit of planning and having a few essential items to hand, all may not be lost. We can’t control the weather, so at best all we can do is prepare for it.

For example, for the shot of the Sony camera inside the waterproof case (see top photo). The camera is sitting on the bonnet (hood) of my car and I was nice and dry underneath the front porch of my house four feet away. If the rain persists or is simply too heavy to venture out, use this time to take actual shots of the rain against the window of your house or car.

Before

After

Before

After

What makes these shots more interesting is the type of background and the light reflecting off the rain droplets. For example, in the following image. I was in my own car and shot the car in front of me with my iPhone. I switched the wipers off to let the rain build up on the windscreen. The lights from the oncoming traffic gave it this Blade Runner abstract type shot.

Before

After

Disclaimer: I wasn’t driving the car when I took these shots. The traffic was at a standstill.

I hope you found this article useful. I’d love to hear your tips and advice on how you battle the elements when out shooting in the rain or other inclement weather. Please leave your comments below.

The post What to do When it Starts to Rain – Are you Prepared to Keep Shooting? by Sarah Hipwell appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
December 17, 2017
How to Know What to do and Where to Start with Photo Editing in Photoshop
Do you struggle to know what to do with your images in post-processing? Do you know where to start with photo editing? Can you relate to this?

Before and after photo editing.

I recently received a message for help from another photographer, “I’m so frustrated with Photoshop. I don’t know what to do or where to even start!?!?” So I asked, “What’s the plan? What are you trying to achieve?” His reply, “I’m not sure…”.

The uncomfortable truth is that we’ve all been there. Staring at Photoshop wondering which of its tools will achieve the look we’re so desperately trying to replicate. You try clicking on every button, using every tool and creating 1000 different layers to add complexity to your image under the illusion that this will instantly make it awesome.

Frustrated, you give up. And if you’re anything like me, you probably walk into the kitchen, open the pantry and look for answers inside a packet of cookies.

This overwhelming hurdle of frustration can cause you to stumble, fall out of love with editing and certainly begin to make everything feel too hard and unachievable. In this tutorial, I’ll show you a very simple technique that will have you soaring over this hurdle so you can continue on your journey to craft beautiful images.

After some thoughtful and carefully planned out photo editing.

It’s all in the preparation

It doesn’t take long for the process of editing in Photoshop to feel chaotic.

It’s easy to take a look at your photo and instantly get to work by creating a layer on top of layer targeting all sorts of adjustments as you see them. Add a bit of contrast here, some brightness there, sharpen this up and blur that… It’s fast. It’s reactive.

Before you know it, you’ll have curves in places you didn’t know you had and more level adjustments than an ergonomic office chair.

You may find yourself stumbling your way through the edit, the process will probably feel a little clunky but you’ll be somewhat happy with the outcome until you click on the next photo. Where the whole process starts again and you don’t know what to do, where to start, and worst of all – you’ve run out of cookies.

What happens if we remove the chaos?

Creating beautiful images is a craft. And much like any craft, a lot of unsexy work goes into the preparation before the fun stuff starts happening.
- Landscape photographers spend their time scouting locations, researching where the sun will set (or rise) and studying the weather before they venture out at 4 am to capture the magic.
- Quality chefs spend hours sourcing and preparing their ingredients before they serve their masterpieces.
- Painters clean, dust and prime their brushes and canvas before bringing their vision to life.
- Authors spend hours creating a structure and a content plan before putting pen to paper.
- Builders draw up blueprints and intricate floor plans before laying bricks and building houses.
Preparation is the key to delivering the best possible final version of your craft. Preparation sets up the foundations from which you can begin to form consistency and style, and it helps you focus and stay on track.

So, what does preparation look like?

Well, just like a builder doesn’t turn up to a site and randomly lay bricks to build a house, or a Michelin-star chef doesn’t turn up on a night of service and create a menu from what’s laying around in the cupboards. You, as a photographer and image editor, should try to avoid randomly plowing your way through Lightroom or Photoshop, aimlessly slapping on layers and adjustments without creating a plan that details what you are trying to achieve.

So, when you approach your image – you know what to edit, where to start and what you’re doing. There is no chaos – it’s systematic and as a result, you’re cool, collected, and methodical.

Pfffft! Who has time to plan!?

It’s easy to become frustrated with Lightroom and Photoshop. And it’s even easier to buy your way out of it with presets and actions. I get it, you want rapid results, you want to see instant progress, you don’t want to stop, think and plan – you just want to do.

The truth is, editing beautiful images is a craft. It’s something to take pride in. It’s the final step for you to infuse your images with your personality and style before you share your work with your clients and followers. Therefore, sometimes it’s a good idea to give the editing process a little more love and care than the press of a button.

Doing so can be the difference between your clients and friends thinking, “Oh that’s nice…” and saying “Oh my! That’s AMAZING! Can I order a copy!?”

So, if you want to know how to build something beautiful — something with craftsmanship, something you’re proud of, something that your audience will love – spend time on the preparation stage and create a plan for your edits. The reality is, it takes a little more effort than pressing a preset button. Here’s how you can make a simple plan.

Step #1 – Load Photoshop

Open your image in Photoshop. You can do this from within Photoshop by navigating to FILE > OPEN and selecting your image. Alternatively, you can load your image into Photoshop from within your Lightroom Library. Do this by right-clicking on your photo inside your Lightroom Library and navigate to EDIT IN > EDIT IN ADOBE PHOTOSHOP.

Step #2 – Convert to Black and White

To establish what to edit and where to start with your image, it’s helpful to begin by temporarily removing the distraction of color. This strips back the information and makes it easier for your eyes to clearly see what is going on inside your image. Convert your image to black and white using the Adjustment Layer menu and navigating to Black and White.

Step #3 – What do you see?

Ensure that you can see the entire image on your screen. At this stage, you’re only taking a high-level look at your image to get an idea of what catches your eye. Navigate to VIEW > FIT ON SCREEN then hold down CMD (Mac) or CTRL (PC) + press the minus key (-) a couple times to zoom out of the image.

While looking at your image ask yourself these questions.
- What story is the photo trying to tell?
- Where do your eyes get drawn to first?
- Where do your eyes go next?
- What elements enhance the story?
- Which elements weaken the story?
There’s no need to write an in-depth analysis here. Spend a few seconds on each question and listen to your instincts. What you are trying to do is look at your image from the viewer’s perspective and establish whether or not they are seeing what you want them to see.

Controlling the attention of your viewer’s eye is crucial to a good photo. It’s about leading them on an uninterrupted journey so they can soak up all the goodness of the story within your image.

Have you ever tried to read a book or watch a movie while someone is talking to you? It’s distracting, you disengage from the story and lose focus. The same applies to your eyes when you look at a photo. Eyes are easily distracted and the moment this happens you’ll lose your viewer’s attention and the story breaks down. Eliminating these distractions is key to creating stronger images.

Take a look at your image. As you do so, make a note of the areas, objects, and elements that your eyes are naturally drawn to and settle on. Typically, these areas will be the brightest parts of the image and areas with the most amount of contrast or sharpness. It’s your job to determine whether or not these areas enhance the story or distract the viewer’s attention and therefore weaken the story.

In the next step, we’ll take a look at this example image and establish the distractions so we can create a simple editing plan.

Step #4 – Creating your plan

Create a new layer and rename it “Notes”. On this layer, you can use the brush tool to mark-up the areas of your image that you want to pay attention to based on your answers from step #3.

The example image is trying to tell the story of a Thai man taking his boat out on the water for a snorkel while trying to keep cool in the harsh midday sun. However, you may find that your eyes are distracted by the flapping black strap, the rope, and what appears to be a random metal pole protruding into the frame.

Mark any distractions and things to remove or hide

With your notes layer selected, use a brightly colored brush to circle the distractions, adding them to your plan. You can also use the Type tool to clarify your thoughts so you don’t forget what your markups are referring to when you go to edit them later.

Mark elements you want to bring more attention to

Continue to let your eyes explore the image and mark-up the elements that enhance the story. In the example image, you’ll notice that the subject is wearing a nice pair of sunglasses and that his face is a little dark. Drawing the viewer’s attention to this area will most definitely enhance the story.

The example image uses a lot of horizontal leading lines such as the horizon, the edge of the boat, and the canopy. While these are effective at leading your eye across the image towards the subject, you don’t want them to be too effective and allow your viewer’s eyes to continue along those lines and off the image.

A good way to prevent this from happening is to darken the right side of the photo. This will help to control the viewer’s focus by bouncing it back into the frame and onto the subject.

Another element of this example that could potentially enhance the story is the light source. Adding a sun or lens flare may help to add some interest and balance out any adjustments made to the subject’s face and sunglasses.

View the image in color again

When you are finished exploring the image and marking-up your notes, it’s a good idea to disable the Black and White adjustment layer you created in step #2 and take a look at the image in full color. As you do so, ask yourself whether the colors you see align and enhance your story or weaken it?

It’s likely that you’ll find one or two additional distractions in the form of color. These might be objects of a particular color that don’t align with the mood of your story or perhaps an overall color cast that you might want to remove or enhance.

In the example image, you can see that disabling the Black and White Adjustment Layer reveals a bright pink object that causes a distraction.

Finally, we can work with the overall color of the image to align with the story. Given that the example image is telling a story about a man trying to keep cool under the hot summer sun, adding a subtle warm-to-cool color tone may help to convey the story and pull the image together.

Step #5 – Create a Group

When you are finished making your notes it’s time to group them all together. You can do this by clicking on your Black and White adjustment layer, holding down the SHIFT key on your keyboard and clicking on your NOTES layer (and any other Type layers that you may have created).

With your layers selected, click on the Group icon to put all of your selected layers into a new group. You can then rename the group to “Edit Plan”.

With your editing plan in place, you can now systematically work your way through the image. If at any point during your edit you begin to feel a little distracted, lost, or overwhelmed, just refer to your editing plan to get right back on track.

Here you can see the example image post-edit with minimal distractions. You may notice that your eye settles on the subject’s face a lot quicker than they did before, and it’s easier to absorb the story without the distracting elements.

Before

After

Conclusion

Spending just a few minutes marking-up your photos and creating a plan can have enormous results. It tells you what to edit and where to start, and it provides clarity when the editing fog starts to settle in.

Yes, it takes a little more time and perhaps it’s not for every image. But if you want to create something with craftsmanship, something beautiful, something your clients and audience will love – it’s worth every second.

So, I encourage you to spend a little time planning your edits the next time you open up an image in Photoshop. Try to resist the temptation to join the trigger-happy chaos – instead, stop for a minute. Spend twice the time on the preparation, be clear on what you want to achieve, and craft something you’re proud of.

The post How to Know What to do and Where to Start with Photo Editing in Photoshop by William Palfrey appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
December 16, 2017
Weekly Photography Challenge – Black and White Portraits
There is something very appealing about the simplicity of a portrait in black in white. It becomes less about the setting, background and environment and more about the person being photographed.

This week we want to see what you can do to create your best black and white portraits. Here are some articles to help if you need assistance:
- How to Create Good Black and White Portraits
- 5 More Tips for Making Better Black and White Portraits
- 3 Simple Steps to Craft Better Black and White Photos
- Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes in Black and White Photography
- A Guide to Black and White Conversion in Photoshop
- A Guide to Black and White Conversion in Lightroom
Weekly Photography Challenge – Black and White Portrait

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 – Black and White Portraits by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
December 16, 2017
An Introduction to Lightroom Classic’s Newest Tools
The announcement of Lightroom CC has been stealing all the thunder when it comes to Lightroom over the last few weeks. At the same time, however, Adobe made some changes and additions to the Lightroom you and I have been using (now called Lightroom Classic). There aren’t many changes, but they are very significant, so let’s take a look.

Changes to Lightroom Classic

Before we get into the new tools, you’re likely to notice an overall change to Lightroom. It is faster. Much faster. It imports faster, you can flick through your pictures faster . . . everything just works faster. That is a nice change.

When it comes to making global edits to your pictures – that is, changes that affect all parts of the picture – Lightroom works exactly the same. There are no changes (except the speed). The bad news is that there are no new features, but the good news is that you will still be comfortable with how everything works.

Making Local Changes in Lightroom

The latest change to Lightroom comes in the local adjustment tools. If you aren’t already familiar with them, Adobe lets you make changes to specific parts of your picture using one of three tools: the Adjustment Brush, the Graduated Filter, and the Radial Filter.

Since the changes to Lightroom work within these tools, it is worth spending a second making sure you are familiar with them. Here is what they are and how they work:
- Adjustment Brush: It is just like it sounds. You select the brush and then paint in where you want to make changes. When you call up the brush, a series of sliders will appear, and the changes you make with these sliders only affect the part of the image you have selected. If you want Lightroom to find an edge for you as you paint, to keep things from spilling over into other areas, be sure you have checked the Auto Mask option at the bottom.
- Graduated Filter: You will find this tool gets more useful the more you use it. This is a filter that makes gradual changes to your picture, along a straight line. If you are familiar with a graduated neutral density filter, then you are familiar with this tool. As with the Adjustment Brush, when you call up this tool and create a gradient, you will see sliders appear on your screen. You can then make changes to only the part of the image you chose. Those changes will be softly blended in. You can create multiple gradients to change many discrete parts of your image.
- Radial Filter: Frankly, this is the one I use the least. It works like the Graduated Filter, but it selects an elliptical area. Once you make your selection, you’ll see the usual sliders for making adjustments to the selected area. I find it is most useful for highlighting the subject or a particular part of your image.
The trouble with these selection tools has always been controlling the selection. Take the Graduated Filter, for example. How often do you really want to make changes along a straight line across your entire picture? Probably not often. What you end up doing is just trying to feather your changes in softly enough that you don’t notice changes to things sticking over the line.

Now, however, Adobe has provided additional tools for us to deal with that. It is called the Range Mask feature, and you’ll see it as an option at the bottom of the Adjustment Brush, Graduated Filter, and Radial Filter tools.

Using the Range Mask Feature

What does the Range Mask feature do? Simply put, it allows you to exclude things from a selection based on brightness values or color.

Here’s how it works. Once you have selected a part of the picture to edit using one of the three tools mentioned above, you’ll see a little option at the bottom of the controls for that tool labeled Range Mask. It will be in the Off position by default, meaning it is doing nothing.

When you click on it, you will see options for Color and Luminance. You pick one and then you can exclude colors or brightness values from the selection.

Color Range Mask

For example, if you choose Color, then you will see an eyedropper tool. Use it to select a color you want to exclude from your selection. If you’re happy with that, you’re done. If it isn’t quite right, there is an amount slider just below so you can fine tune it. You can also click and drag to select all the colors in a particular area, or you can Shift-click with the eyedropper to select multiple colors.

Luminance Range Mask

Or you can select Luminance instead, which will allow you to exclude pixels of certain brightness values from your picture. You’ll see a Range slider with two points on it. Think of these as your black point (on the left) and the white point (on the right).

When you drag the left/black point up, Lightroom will remove darker pixels from the selection. For example, if you want to make changes to a particularly bright area of your picture, but not affect some dark items sticking into the bright area (trees into the sky, a mountain or building, etc.), then pull up the left point of the Range control.

The Range Mask Feature in Action

It might be more understandable if you see these tools in action. Let’s take a photo like this one just below, where you want to adjust the sky, but there isn’t a nice clean line to use a graduated filter. I should note that we could try to make an adjustment using the Adjustment Brush, but even using Auto Mask it won’t be able to make a clean selection around all those branches. Our best bet is going to be the new Range Mask feature.

With the new tools in Lightroom, you can make quick work of this. Just grab the Graduated Filter (or the Adjustment Brush, if you prefer) and make the changes you want to the sky. Don’t worry about how it affects the darker part of the image for now. When you are done making your changes, it might look something like this:

We can now use the Range Mask feature to clean this up very quickly. Just select Luminance, then pull the left/black point of the Range slider up. That will exclude the dark areas from the selection.

Voila! You now have the exact changes to the sky you want, without any spillover into areas (the cliff and trees) that you don’t want to be affected.

You can repeat the process in reverse to make changes to the darker portion of the image as well.

Additional Uses of the Range Mask Feature

As you play with this feature, you’ll find additional things you can do with it. The ability to target pixels based on brightness and color values is so powerful and has so many different applications, that I think you’ll end up using it in a variety of different ways. I am just getting started with it (obviously, as it just came out), but I am already seeing uses for it in my night photography.

With this tool, it is a pretty simple matter to target the dark areas of the sky and leave the stars alone. I can create a selection of the entire sky using the Graduated Filter, and then use the Range Mask to remove the stars from the selection. That way I can just darken and apply noise reduction to only the darker areas.

Previously, that required a tedious process of luminance masks in Photoshop. That’s just one little application I found, and you will doubtlessly find your own better applications.

Application to Your Photography

The recent update to Lightroom Classic has only one additional tool, which is the Range Mask feature addressed in this article. While it is only one change, it is a really powerful addition. It makes all the local adjustment tools in Lightroom Classic that much more powerful.

If you have shied away from making local selections in Lightroom, it is now a much more feasible process. If you are someone that routinely takes your photos into Photoshop to make local changes – utilizing the powerful masking features there – this will probably save you a few trips.

Give it a try and I think you’ll like what you find.

The post An Introduction to Lightroom Classic’s Newest Tools by Jim Hamel appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
December 15, 2017
Video: Travel Photography Tips – Shoot with a Purpose
The challenge with travel photography is that you may not get back to a location again anytime soon. So many photographers try and squeeze out as many photos as possible. The issue is lack of attention to detail and having any intentions or purpose before shooting.

What do you want your image to show?

Waiting for the right gesture, or even right subject to enter your scene is critical.

In this image shot in Trinidad, Cuba I found some amazing light skimming across the cobblestone streets. But it lacked something.

By waiting for a subject, the couple, to enter the scene it is more of a complete story.

In this video, photographer Mitchell gives you some great examples of how to shoot lots of images but end up with better results than just rapid-fire shooting.

The key points mentioned in the video are:
- It’s not about shooting as many images as possible, but to shoot as many as possible with a purpose and intent.
- Don’t settle for one or two shots from each scene. Get out of the mindset of needing to get the perfect shot in as few frames as possible. It’s not a contest.
- Don’t spray and pray. Have an idea of what you want to capture.
- Explore different framings and camera settings.
- See how the light changes from different angles.
- Experiment with different perspectives.
Another example

Here you can see some shots I took of two men deep in conversation in Cienfuegos, Cuba. But it still wasn’t quite what I wanted. The first (upper left) was too busy. The second (right) was more focused on the med but lacked context of the busy street scene. The third (lower left) shot from across is getting closer.

Finally with the addition of the cyclist I had the shot I had envisioned. It shows context, has layers of activity, and interest. To me, it really speaks about daily life in a Cuban city.

Do you photograph with purpose? Slow down and think about each frame you shoot. Be intentional.

And come home with great photos!

The post Video: Travel Photography Tips – Shoot with a Purpose by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
December 15, 2017
DEAL: 87% off 44 Photography Training Cards for your Camera Bag
Have you ever gone out to shoot, but forgotten a technique you recently learned?

We don’t all have a photographic memory, so having a compact reference guide at hand can help you recall what you learnt.

That’s why the folks over at Photzy made these 44 printable Photography Training Cards called “Snap Cards”.

And as part of our Christmas Deals, they’re offering them to dPS readers for just $ 29. Normally $ 220, for the next 48hrs you can get these reference cards for 87% off.

Practical Training that Will Improve Your Photography

A few of the cards include:

Aperture Explained

Shutter Speed Explained

ISO Explained

Shooting Modes Explained

DSLR Terminology

Depth of Field Explained

Exposure Compensation Explained

Mastering Backlighting Explained

Shooting in Low Light Explained

Tips on Photographing Night Scenes

Composition Psychology

How to Pose Groups of people

Working with Natural Light

And So Much More!

Money Back Guarantee

There are 44 colour coded lessons in 9 main photography areas. Photzy offers a 100% money back guarantee, so there’s no risk in trying them out to see if they’re right for you.

Available for 48 Hours Only

Available for just 48hrs, grab them here while you can.

Bonus Partner Offer

This year as part of our 12 days of Christmas we have some extra special bonus offers from some great partners. For example – buy any dPS Christmas Deal and get $ 40 off ON1 Photo RAW 2018 today!
Christmas Deals:
Bonus Offers

Brought to you by

The post DEAL: 87% off 44 Photography Training Cards for your Camera Bag by Darren Rowse appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
December 15, 2017
5 Tips for Better Winter Landscape Photography

Born and raised in Norway, my opinion might be slightly biased but winter is my favorite season for photography. Sure, it’s a cold and harsh season but there are so many opportunities to capture beautiful winter landscape images both during the day and night.

I haven’t always been a fan of winter photography, though. In fact, it took me several years after purchasing my first camera before I brought it with me on skiing and hiking trips. Needless to say, it didn’t take many trips before I was hooked and began looking forward to next winter. I quickly realized that photographing during winter is in many ways different than any other season.

There are several new challenges you need to handle and, quite often, everything is white. How do you handle that? Here are five tips to capture better winter landscape images.

1 – Look for Color Contrast

After a few days of heavy snowfall, the landscape here in Norway is completely white. White trees, white lakes, white mountains and normally a white sky. When everything is white, it’s quite challenging to find a focal element as nothing really stands out.

During days like this, you should be searching for elements of color that stand out in the otherwise white landscape. Here’s an example of a house captured the morning after a heavy snowfall.

The red cabin is what makes this picture interesting. Without it, the scene lacks a focal element and the viewer’s eyes have no place to rest.

I find red to be a particularly pleasing color in situations like this but search for any dominant color. Perhaps there’s an autumn leaf laying on top of a thin layer of snow, or maybe it’s a few skiers wearing red jackets. Just find a dominant color in the otherwise white landscape and use that as your focal element.

2 – Bright is Better than Dark

When you’re not able to find a colorful focal element that stands out in the frame, overexpose your image. If it’s snowing and there’s no contrast in the sky, winter images can often benefit from being a stop or two brighter. Just avoid clipping the highlights.

This isn’t something I always do but whenever it’s a whiteout I tend to lean that direction. The slightly overexposed image enhances the whiteout and helps convey just how cold you were when taking the picture, yet it still shows a sense of calmness.

3 – Choose a Cold White Balance

You can either choose White Balance in camera or in post-processing if you’re photographing Raw, a cool color balance is often the most suitable for winter scenes.

Unless it’s a colorful sunset, there’s no reason to use a warm White Balance. Snow is white and the shadows are cool. Using a cold White Balance will help enhance the winter mood while keeping the image more realistic.

4 – Photograph During Bluehour

Winter is a season with lots of opportunities throughout the entire day; even a sunny winter day is worth taking your camera out for. However, during the last years, I’ve begun to appreciate the blue hour more and more.

The moments before the sun rises or after it sets creates a magical, soft light in the winter landscape, especially near the mountains. This is a time where you should be out with your camera. Even if it’s freezing cold and you’d rather stay at home underneath a blanket, you’re doing yourself a favor by going out with the camera at this time of day.

If I was only able to choose one time of the day to go photographing during winter it would be the blue hour (well, night-time and aurora chasing might be preferred…)

5 – Bring Extra Batteries and Keep Them Warm!

The last tip is perhaps the most important when it comes to photographing cold climates in general – bring extra batteries. Batteries drain much quicker in winter and if you’re like me and use Live View for most shots, you need to bring at least a few extra batteries – just in case.

I tend to keep at least one spare battery in an inner pocket of my jacket to keep it from draining or failing in the cold temperature. I’ve also found that doing so will result in the battery lasting longer when you do start using it.

A self-portrait I took on a hike in rough conditions last winter

Lastly, related to keeping the batteries warm, you need to stay warm as well. Always be prepared and rather bring a layer too many than too few. You always want to have the opportunity to dress down, especially if you’re going on a hike.

Over to you

Do you get winter weather where you live? Get out and take some winter landscape shots and share them in the comments below. We’d love to see them.

The post 5 Tips for Better Winter Landscape Photography by Christian Hoiberg appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

December 15, 2017
SLC-1L-01: One Speedlight Outdoors — Find Shade

There is an inherent tradeoff when using small speedlights outdoors in daylight. They are light, and convenient and cheap. But they don't have a ton of power.

And the aggravating factor is the relationship between a small flash and a bright environment. Which is, in turn, governed by our sync speed. And by this I mean our natural speed limit for flash, absent power-robbing gimmicks like high-speed sync (HSS).

At a sync speed of 1/250th of a second, even at a low ISO, you are probably going to be at f/16 in full sun. That's a small aperture, which means your flash will be working hard to create a full exposure.

Because of that, working in full sun with speedlights usually means we lack the power that we need. Certainly, we don't have enough power to push the flash's light through a softening modifier to look nice.

The solution: Get more power… or find some shade. Read more »
Strobist

December 15, 2017
Switching from Lightroom to ACDSee Photo Studio: Making the Jump Easy
Let’s be honest – over the past couple of months, more than enough has been said about Adobe’s recent change in policy regarding how the latest versions (yes, all two of them) of Lightroom are to be purchased and used. Articles have been written, disappointment expressed in some volume, silver linings spotted where there seemed to be none.

There’s also a good chance that you have made up your mind regarding the change to do one of the following:
- To stick with CC and Classic.
- To start the fairly painful process of moving on to a different piece of software.
- Or to put off the decision for as long as the already-purchased version of Lightroom supports RAW files from your camera.
Thus, we are not here to discuss Adobe’s brilliant decisions or lack thereof. This article is meant for those who chose the second option. Specifically, for those, who have decided to switch from Lightroom to ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate. Hopefully, the last article I wrote on ACDSee Photo Studio has helped you make up your mind whether or not this software is suitable for your needs. If it is, I will try to help make the transition as painless as possible.

An important disclaimer: as before, the license for this copy of ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate has been provided by ACD Systems. Having said that, even though ACD Systems has asked me to write this article, it has not been dictated by the company in the slightest. My words are always my own, as are your reasons for switching or otherwise. More than that, ACD Systems never implied they expect anything but integrity.

Direct transfer from Lightroom

I am afraid I will have to start with some disappointment, so I will try to rip off the bandage as quickly as possible. As of today, there is absolutely no way to transfer editing data from Lightroom to any other post-processing software or vice versa. It’s the result of closed-standard tools and database format that each software developer uses – not even sharpening is equivalent, let alone tonal adjustments.

So, the progress you have made with Lightroom is bound to remain accessible via Lightroom only, at least as far as RAW files themselves are concerned. For all the convenience catalog systems provide, this is one of the downsides – switching to a new RAW converter can really be a hassle.

It may not be possible to transfer edits from LR to ACDSee, but Photo Studio sure has a lot of tools to cover most post-processing tasks.

But if you are here, I am guessing you have decided to push through the process now rather than become even more tied-in with the system Adobe is sticking to, and have even more to deal with at a later date. One solution you are left with is exporting full-size JPEG images from your Lightroom Catalog for any future needs (uploads to social media or websites, for example). But should you ever need to tweak a setting or two, you will either have to go back to Lightroom, or start from zero using ACDSee or an alternative tool.

Mind you, this caveat is only really valid for two or three years at the most, since there is a good chance that after a couple of years your taste in post-processing – as well as your skill – will have changed noticeably. I know mine has. Still, it is something that you will need to accept as an unavoidable result of having been part of such a closed system.

It is my hope that, over time, software developers such as ACD Systems will work out a way to read Adobe’s (and other) databases and interpret adjustments in an equivalent manner so that none of the edits – at least not those most prominent – would be lost when switching.

Now that the bandage is off, let’s go through what can be achieved with Photo Studio Ultimate.

Importing Lightroom Catalog Data

As I have mentioned in the previous article, culling and adding metadata information is an enormous pain for me. I am sure I am not the only one who just wants to get on with post-processing. Having to assign ratings and keywords all over again for images that have been organized in Lightroom would be insufferable. It is an enormous relief that this is something ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate can greatly help you with.

Photo Studio has the functionality to import ratings, color labels, keywords, and collections from any Lightroom Catalog, thus preserving the major image organizing-structure of your portfolio. The process of importing this data is very easy to initiate and requires minimal effort.

1. Find the Adobe Lightroom Database Import tool

While in Manage Mode, select the Tools menu at the very top of the screen. There, navigate to Database > Import > Lightroom Database, which is located at the very bottom of the Import submenu. This will open the Lightroom Database Import Guide.

2. Select Data and Catalog to Import

As soon as you launch the Lightroom Database Importer, a dialog with a short introduction to the tool’s functionality will pop up. Click Next, and you will be given options to specify which database entries you want to be imported, as well as the location of the Lightroom Catalog itself.

2.1 Ratings

This is the star-based filter assigned with numeric keys (1 through 5) in Lightroom. ACDSee does not have stars as such, but it provides a numeric rating that is equivalent for all intents and purposes. If you check this option, ACDSee will interpret the ratings you have assigned with Lightroom and apply the same values.

2.2 Labels

This specifically refers to color labels that both Lightroom and ACDSee support. Again, by default, the labels that ACDSee provides are exactly the same as those found in Lightroom, so files marked with a Red label in a Lightroom Catalog will be marked with the same color in ACDSee after the data from the Catalog is imported.

2.3 Collections

These are a bit more complicated than Labels and Ratings and not something Photo Studio promotes as a means to managing your files, at least not by default. But if you were using Collections in Lightroom to sort your images, ACDSee will readily take over.

Simply select the Panes menu and enable Collections there and a new navigational tab will become available. Located right next to the Folders tab in Manage mode, it will list all the Collections that the imported Catalogs contained, along with the images assigned to those Collections.

It has been a couple of years since I last used Collections in Lightroom, preferring to stick with simple filters now, but it is nice to know this option is available and neatly integrated.

2.4 Keywords

These are perhaps self-explanatory. Any keywords that you applied in Lightroom to any given RAW file will be seen by ACDSee too. This is useful for when you want to find images of specific locations, events, or people, provided you specified those keywords in Lightroom in the first place. Obviously, if you have not, ACDSee offers enough image management tools to have you covered.

2.5 Location

ACDSee will navigate to the default Lightroom Catalog in the Pictures folder on your computer, so keep in mind you may need to change the location. There is no way to select several Catalogs at once, so if you have more than one (which is very likely), the Catalog Import process will need to be repeated once for each one.

Make sure Lightroom is not running while attempting to Import a Catalog.

Depending on the size of the Catalog being imported and your computer hardware specifications, the process might take up to a few minutes to finish. In fact, it took ACDSee over 30 minutes to process my Catalog. More than enough time to take a break from work and have a cup of coffee (you will have to wait for the Import to finish before you can use Photo Studio for anything else).

Admittedly, the Catalog was quite large, with a year’s worth of RAW files, and stored on an external hard drive on top of that. And not the fastest sort either. Be that as it may, importing will certainly be quicker than having to apply the filters and ratings manually, and nowhere near as tedious.

Once the process is finished, you will find (upon navigating to the corresponding folder) your RAW files to contain the same labels, ratings, and metadata entries as applied in Lightroom. Honestly, this is great. The only omission that I can think of is that ACDSee does not seem to take Flags into account, so any images you may have marked with Pick or Reject Flag in Lightroom will not have the filter imported.

Part of the reason is that ACDSee simply has no Reject Flag equivalent, even if marking a file with backslash key tags it in a similar fashion to how Pick Flag works in Lightroom. Something to improve upon perhaps.

The ratings and labels Lightroom is showing…

…are now transferred to ACDSee. And it gives you a good before-after glimpse too/

Plugins are added

Here is something that’s as unexpected as it is brilliant; ACDSee supports plugins designed for Adobe Photoshop. If you have been using Lightroom, this may be of relevance to you, too, as so many of these plugins are also meant for Adobe’s standalone RAW converter and image management software.

I have no idea how much work had to go into this little trick, but it is a massive attraction for anyone who is not fully satisfied with the extent of default ACDSee tools.

Long time no see, Silver Efex. Fancy finding you here.

While I have not done any extensive testing – I rarely, if ever, use plugins anymore – I was able to verify this with one of the most well-regarded plugin packs by Nik Software (now owned by DxO after being nearly killed-off by Google). Color Efex worked like a charm. I encountered an occasional error here and there, but often to no direct effect on the functionality of the software or the plugin, so while annoying, it was rarely terminal.

I also tried a couple of plugins by Topaz some time ago and they worked without issue. The full list of officially supported tools can be found here.

It is necessary to path the location of the already-installed plugins. To make sure ACDSee can locate the plugins correctly, first go to Edit mode. Then, select Options from the Tools menu at the top of the screen, or simply hit Alt + O. Once the Options panel is displayed, choose Edit Mode from the list on the left. There, you will be able to select the GPU that ACDSee will use to speed up processing, among other things.

What we need is the bottom-most field called Adobe Photoshop Plugin Paths. A couple of directories will be listed by default, but in some cases (as with Nik), they won’t be enough. You need to specify where the plugins are located. Since I am interested in using Nik Software, I added (click the Add button) a new path that leads to C:\Program Files\Nik Collection. The destination of your plugins might be different, so make sure you set the path correctly. Once you’re done, click OK.

If the plugins are supported and the path has been specified accurately, you will find the plugins listed in the Photoshop Plugins section of the Tools menu (still in Edit Mode).

I won’t claim there is no chance of errors happening – after all, those plugins were never really intended for anything but Adobe. Yet the fact that they work so well despite that is an impressive and convenient achievement no matter how you look at it.

Just keep in mind that not everything might work as expected every single time, or it may take time for some plugins to be properly supported.

Final Words

Breaking and rearranging an established workflow is not a pleasant experience. Especially if the previous routine worked well and it is the company’s decisions, rather than the quality of the tool, that has become an issue. With that in mind, it is good to know that less-dominant software developers are going out of their way to show how welcoming they can be.

ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate attempts to make the transition from Lightroom as simple and straightforward as possible, not only by offering a plethora of powerful (and often similar) post-processing tools but by also taking steps towards preserving any image organizing you may have already done with Lightroom.

It’s not perfect and there is certainly room for improvement (perhaps edit transfers are not as far-fetched as they might seem?), but what has been done is by no means a small feat and will save any new user hours of rating and filtering what has already been done before.

Whichever software you will find yourself choosing next (or sticking with), there is plenty for the giant developers to learn from such attention to detail.

Disclaimer: ACDsee is a paid partner of dPS

The post Switching from Lightroom to ACDSee Photo Studio: Making the Jump Easy by Romanas Naryškin appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
December 14, 2017
How to Capture the Feeling of Color and Create More Compelling Images
I am an unashamed lover of color. I say this because when I first started out as a photographer, color photography was considered inferior to black and white. This attitude was especially prevalent in the photo-art world.

I found that confusing because to me, color can bring so much expression, feeling, excitement and vitality to an image. Don’t we want that? As my very favorite photographer, Ernst Haas said:

“Color is joy. One does not think joy. One is carried by it.”

I totally agree!

In this article, I’d like to talk to you about how to use color to create more feeling, more depth, and more energy in your images.

After all, if your images are not provoking an impact, a feeling for your viewer, then they will be easy to forget. And don’t we all wish to create memorable and unique images?

“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” – Don McCullin

Colour is a form of expression

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for.” – Georgia O’Keeffe

I agree with her! As a really visual person, I find it hard to express the feelings I have about the world with words. I’ve learned how, but it comes much more naturally to me to express my curiosity about the world through taking photographs.

Color evokes a spectrum of feeling, and it that is what we really want to capture in our photography.

Think about how you feel when you see the intense red of a flower, the soft azure blue of the sea, the warm yellows of morning sun in summer, the dark muddy browns of the earth in fall.

That is what I want you to think about today. Not only the photographing of color itself, as an element almost, but how you can use color to bring intense feeling into your photograph. Show the viewer more about how it felt to stand in the place where you were. To infuse your photographs with a feeling of atmosphere.

In this article, I will give you three techniques for using color in your images. They go from simple to pretty hard – but I hope you will try all three.

1. Using color as an element

The simplest way to start working with color in your photography is to use it as a key element within your image. Color can be used to provide contrast, shape, form, and texture.

The simple shape and form of color can be the subject of your photo. It can help you build elements within the photo.

I love to get inspiration for my photography from all kinds of sources. It’s important to me that I am not just stuck in the world of photography and image-making – because there is a stunning and unbelievable world out there for us to draw interesting and exciting ideas from. From philosophers to writers, musicians to scientists – I get ideas for photos from all kinds of places.

I love very simple, bold background for portraits. I’m always keeping my eye out for backgrounds like these.

I love how so many painters use color in big, bold ways to create powerful elements in their work. Painters such as Henri Matisse with his simple shapes and beautiful colors, Mark Rothko with his thick banks of color that seem to suck you into his paintings and Van Gogh with his heavy brush strokes of rich color.

Here is another quote from the painter Georgia O’Keeffe that explains a lot of what I am doing with my photography: drawing attention to things that most people miss

“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.” – Georgia O’Keeffe

In this photo, I used the contrasting colors to make a simple and interesting composition with some abandoned chairs. For me turning simple things I find on the street, peeling off walls, at my feet, into something interesting is a favorite thing for me to do in my photography.

2. Using color to evoke a feeling

A more interesting way to use color – and one that takes more practice – is to use it purposely to create a feeling in your image. Color evokes all kinds of different feelings for people.

Painter Wassily Kandinsky developed many theories about art, one being that color created different feelings and states within the viewer.

“The deeper the blue becomes, the more strongly it calls man towards the infinite, awakening in him a desire for the pure and, finally, for the supernatural… The brighter it becomes, the more it loses its sound, until it turns into silent stillness and becomes white.” – Wassily Kandinsky

Kandinsky felt that colors evoked these feelings and states:
- Yellow – warm, exciting, happy
- Blue – deep, peaceful, supernatural
- Green – peace, stillness, nature
- White – harmony, silence, cleanliness
- Black – grief, dark, unknown
- Red – glowing, confidence, alive
- Orange – radiant, healthy, serious
To use color to evoke feeling is a more sophisticated way to incorporate it into your images.

Now, where is a good place to start with this process?

Look at how the color you are seeing affects how you feel. Explore and examine color – almost in that state that toddlers do – with a sense of wonder and freshness. Then you can bring that into your images.

Of course, it doesn’t have to be big bold colors, it can be about the subtle, the evocative colors. I love playing with greys, browns, and blacks – and drawing out the subtlety in their range.

3. Capturing the inherent qualities of your subject using color

This has to be the hardest, most sophisticated technique of the three presented here – but it’s so worth trying it as you will create images with more complexity.

What I mean by capturing the inherent qualities of your subject using color, is to reveal the qualities of your subject using color. Pablo Picasso explained it even better than me when he is said:

“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.”

So you are using the color to tell the viewer something of what that subject is. What it feels or looks like, what it is or how it is.

I love this photo below because to me it captures perfectly the browns, yellows, and oranges of autumn. I can feel autumn in this photo.

The colors I am capturing here are not a compositional tool, but about revealing more about the subject itself.

I hope those were some interesting ideas to you. I love to know how you use color in your photography – and if you found some useful tips here that you can apply to your images.

Please let me know by commenting below.

The post How to Capture the Feeling of Color and Create More Compelling Images by Anthony Epes appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
December 14, 2017