Category: Photography

How to Use the Folders Panel in Lightroom

The web is full of articles about Lightroom’s Develop Module. It’s the flash part of Lightroom, making our images look so much better. It truly is the heart of Lightroom, but if you can’t find images when you need them, you may as well have never shot them. That’s where the Folders Panel in Lightroom. Because if Develop is the heart of Lightroom, then the Library module is definitely the head.

The Library module is all about managing your images. It uses a range of tools to do this. Key among these are Folders and Collections. In this article, we’ll be looking at the Folders Panel.

The Folders Panel

The Folders panel shows a hierarchy that represents folders on your drive which have been imported into Lightroom, either directly, or created when importing images. Because it only contains imported folders, it may not include or show all folders or subfolders available on the drive.

Show/Hide Parent Folder

Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates in the Import Dialog

The key feature of Folders in Lightroom is that they only allow an image to be located in one folder only. This is controlled by the “Don’t Import Suspected Duplicates” checkbox in the Import dialog. There are good reasons for this.

First, physical duplicates take up space on your hard drive, and in backups. Secondly, how do you know if you’re looking at the right file to export if there are only subtle differences between them? You can, of course, create different versions of an image using Virtual Copies (without duplicating the file). The beauty of this is the copy only exists as a preview on disk, taking up very little room, but still allowing a managed set of versions to exist.

With the hierarchy in the Folders panel, you can move up and down the folder tree by using two commands available on each top level folder (the folders in which subfolders reside). These commands are; Show Parent Folder and Hide Parent Folder. The former reveals more of the folder tree on your hard drive, while the latter hides it.

Show/Hide Parent Folder

Add Folder/Subfolder

Click the + Icon for more Folder options

Generally, most of the folders in Lightroom are created outside Lightroom, or as part of Import, but there are also tools to create them within Lightroom. Click the plus (+) icon in the Folders panel header to access the Folders menu. From there you can create a new folder or even a subfolder inside the current folder. When creating a subfolder, you can include images to move into it after its creation.

Find Missing Folder/Update Folder Location

It’s important you remember that Lightroom is a database, so it depends on the information collected upon import to do its job. One important bit of information is the folder’s physical location on your hard drive. If you move a folder outside of Lightroom (or even rename it), Lightroom will lose track of it. You can relink the folder using the “Find Missing Folder” command, but it’s generally best to move single folders and images inside Lightroom. If you want to move an entire tree somewhere else, use the Show Parent Folder command until you’re at the top of the tree. Then in the OS copy the whole tree to the new location.

Click the + Icon for more Folder options

You can quickly get to the top folder on your hard drive by using the shortcut Cmd/Ctrl + R for Show in Finder/Explorer. Once the copy is complete, right-click on the top-level folder in Lightroom, and choose “Update Folder Location”. Browse to the new location and select the top level folder. Lightroom will now associate all the catalog information with the new file location. This is great for when you outgrow a drive but still want all your files together, as it allows you to move everything safely without losing any of your work.

Drives in Folders

Folders Drive Icon

Speaking of drives, each disk also has a tab in the Folders panel, showing the name of the drive, and information about it. A graphical LED shows a color to represent remaining space on the drive. Green means okay, orange means it is almost full. Red means critically full, especially for the drive that contains the catalog file. Black means the drive is disconnected, and the drive bar will be dimmed.

Video with More Info

To expand on this article check out my video on the Folders panel. It’s a pretty in-depth look at Folders in Lightroom and covers more than what I’ve gone through here. If you’re a visual learner, you’ll get more from watching. Check it out below:

If you’ve specific questions, don’t be afraid to ask in the comments below.

The post How to Use the Folders Panel in Lightroom by Sean McCormack appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

July 12, 2017
How to Demystify Shooting Video With Your dSLR

It’s almost impossible these days to get a camera that doesn’t have a video mode yet I’m going to guess that you have either never pushed the record button, or you have and you weren’t happy with the results so never pushed it again. Or maybe you’ve avoided pushing the button simply because you don’t want to deal with editing the video. It becomes one of those things that’s easier to avoid than it is to try and possibly fail at mastering immediately. And while it’s true that the record button is red, you shouldn’t let that stop you shooting video.

If you are one of those photographers, let’s demystify some of the ins and outs of shooting video with your DSLR and open up a new string to your bow. The biggest tip? Just to get out there and shoot some video. Not all the footage will be amazing, but the more you do it the more you’re going to learn and the more comfortable you’ll get with it. Dare I say, you may actually have some fun learning something new as well.

Why bother?

But why would you want to add the shooting video to your arsenal in the first place? Let’s be honest, even if you aren’t making money from your photography, if you’re like most of us, you really like getting attention online and engaging with others. Video is a great way to get attention on social media and begin a dialogue. A fake survey that I am about to make up said that people are 800,000% more likely to stop and look a post if it includes a video.

On a serious note though, video can help improve your storytelling and it’s fun to learn new things. Perhaps if you find yourself in a bit of a rut, it could be just the thing to help get your creative juices flowing.

Storytelling and video editing

Video, just like photography, is about telling a story.

The first thing to think about with video is that you will most likely have to edit it, not much, but at least just a bit. It’s important to have at least some idea of what your edit is going to look like before you shoot video. I’ve been working in the film industry for almost 20 years and even I have times where I get back to the editing suite and realize that I’ve forgotten to get a shot that would really help. The more you shoot, the more you’ll realize how many different angles and shots you actually need to tell the story.

A good tip is to always get wide and tight shots. Your close-up and medium detail shots are most likely going to be your beauty shots, artsy-fartsy if you like. Then the wide shots will help you establish your scene and let your audience know where your story is taking place, which is absolutely vital. Once you have those shots, just have fun and be creative. Take more shots and angles than you think you’ll need. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!

Camera settings for shooting video

When it comes to the settings on your camera, you can go really deep but don’t let it stop you from starting! There are some basics to start with:

1. Select a frame rate

If you’re in North America or Japan, select 30 frames per second and if you’re anywhere else select 25 frames per second. There are a few other options and reasons for all of them, but this is a good place to start.

Frame rates are normally found in the “movie settings”, which is at the bottom of the “Shooting Menu” on Nikon.

With Canon, you may have to turn on Live View mode before the movie options will appear in the menu.

2. Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed

These work exactly the same in video as they do when taking still photos, so that’s easy.

But shutter speed is slightly different. As a general rule, set your shutter speed to double the frame rate. This is so that movement in your video will look natural. If you set your shutter speed low – in video mode, most cameras won’t let you go under 1/20th – then any movement will be blurry. If you set your shutter speed higher than 1/60th or so, then things moving in your video may appear too sharp. Yes, too sharp can be bad in video – try it and see for yourself.

Here is a short video to help you with video settings:

3. Audio

Lastly but probably most importantly, think about your audio. Without realizing it, you’ll find it makes all the difference in your video. The built-in microphones on most cameras are not great, so a good way to get round that is… don’t use it.

So what DO you use? Well, microphones are a bit like cameras, the best one is the one you have with you. So just use music over your whole video to cover anything until you can get a better audio source.

Gear

What about gear, you ask? Don’t you need loads of different equipment than what you use for photography? What about external monitors, tripods, and video lights? Do you need a fancy rig? Sure, you can get a whole lot of new gear but you don’t NEED anything to get started. It’s too easy to let a lack of gear stop you but if you have a camera with a record button, you have everything you need to start.

Conclusion

You just need to get out there and shoot – anything. Just press the red button, because this is one situation where red means go. Go shoot some video and have some fun like this!

The post How to Demystify Shooting Video With Your dSLR by Lee Herbet appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

July 12, 2017
dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: the Nikon 16-35mm F4
The Nikon 16-35mm f/4 lens is the one I use the most – here’s why!

As a full-time photographer, you quickly notice that your camera bag is constantly getting heavier and heavier as you find new equipment or gadgets that you ~~need~~ want. I’m not nearly as “bad” as many other photographers when it comes to purchasing gadgets and gear but I do have two camera systems and several lenses and extra equipment that I use on a regular basis. My main reason for having two systems is to have a lighter camera (the Fujifilm X-T2) for hikes but it’s also comforting to have a backup system in case something happens.

I frequently get asked about the equipment I use, but the one question that sticks out the most is, “What is your most used or favorite lens?” This question is slightly difficult to answer as I have more than one favorite and it really depends on the situation. For example, if I’m photographing abstract shots I often use a telephoto zoom, while during the night I heavily rely on my ultra-wide angle Nikon 14-24mm. However, by looking at which lens I use the most and have relied upon more than the others, the question isn’t that hard to answer – it’s my beloved Nikon 16-35mm f/4.

Admittingly, when purchasing a Nikon D800 a few years back (which was my first full-frame camera), the Nikon 16-35mm was my lens of choice. For more than half a year it was the only lens I owned for this system. The lens is by far one of the most popular for those who use a full-frame Nikon camera but trust me, it’s not without a reason.

Wide Enough

Landscape photography is my main genre of photography. While I’m often attracted to smaller scenes and more intimate shots, the majority of my images are captured with a wide-angle lens as I love photographing grand landscapes. The 16-35mm isn’t the widest lens I own (you’d be surprised how big the difference between 14mm and 16mm actually is) but it’s more than wide enough for most types of landscape photography.

Since it is a wide-angle zoom and not a prime lens, it’s a good option if you’re only able to bring one lens. I often use this lens at 35mm, especially when I’m in the woods and I want to remove unwanted parts from the image. Such was the case with the image below where I zoomed in to remove the blown out sky and tops of the trees.

Distortion is also fairly low with the 16-35mm and even enlarged the image is more or less sharp even in the outer corners. This is something that’s been a common challenge amongst other ultra wide-angle lenses. Vignetting is also close to non-existent even at the widest aperture, which is great for the few times I actually need to use f/4 (quite rare with this lens).

Technical Info

If you regularly follow my articles and photography you’ll know that I’m not the most technical person and I rarely spend too much time focusing on the technical aspects of the gear. I’m more focused on the images I can produce with the specific lens and image quality. Anyways, I know many of you are curious about some of these technical aspects so let’s quickly look at the specs:
- Focal length: 16-35mm
- Maximum aperture: f/4
- Minimum aperture: f/22
- Angle of view: 107° – 63°
- Closest focusing distance: 0.29 m (1.0 ft.)
- Filter diameter: 77mm
- Weight: 680 g/24.0 oz.
With a 77mm filter size, this lens is compatible with standard sized square filter systems such as the NiSi V5 Pro Holder (100mm square filters). That means that you don’t need a new filter system in order to use them on this lens. That’s something which is valuable for me personally as carrying more equipment than is actually needed can be exhausting on longer hikes.

Focus and Sharpness

I really love that you can focus almost directly in front of the lens, making it possible to place foreground elements extremely close in order to add extra depth in the images. As a landscape photographer I mostly use manual focus but whenever I’m without my tripod and I use the autofocus on this lens, I’m very satisfied. The lens easily focuses and the image looks sharp even when using a semi-slow shutter speed handheld.

Did I mention that it’s sharp? It’s incredibly sharp. In fact, it’s probably the sharpest Nikon lens I have ever tried. Still, several years after purchasing it I’m blown away at times by how sharp the images are when viewing large (zoomed in or 1:1).

The Negatives

I’ve been sitting here for a while trying to think of things I dislike about the Nikon 16-35mm f/4 but there’s honestly not much bad I can say. It’s by far one of the best lenses I’ve ever used and despite it being released in 2010, it’s still considered to be one of Nikon’s flagship lenses.

My only negative comment is that f/4 isn’t always enough. For night photography, you want to use the largest aperture possible to capture as many details in the sky as you can. In that case, the Nikon 16-35mm is not the ideal lens. However, we can’t expect everything in one lens, right?

Conclusion

Even though it was the first lens I purchased for my first full-frame camera and is a relatively old lens, it still remains my most used. Unless Nikon comes with a mindblowing update to it, I can’t see myself replacing this lens anytime soon.

The Nikon 16-35mm f/4 will continue to be my most used lens in the time to comes. It’s a lens I highly recommend to anyone wanting to get started with wide-angle photography.

The post dPS Writer’s Favorite Lens: the Nikon 16-35mm F4 by Christian Hoiberg appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
July 12, 2017
What is Good Light and How to Use it to Create Beautiful Portraits

Two of the most commonly used and misunderstood phrases thrown around by photographers today are, “It’s all about the light” and “Look at that beautiful light”. But what does that actually mean? How can you use it to make beautiful portraits?

In my early years, I kept hearing photographers online and in person preach about the importance of light yet never clearly explain what good light is and how to actually use it to flatter or minimize a subject’s flaws. Here are a few tips to keep in mind on your next shoot to help understand light and how to use it to make better portraits.

Direction of Light

Before you pick up your camera, stop and look around the scene to see what direction the light is actually coming from which will help you decide what to do with your subject. This might seem really obvious, but once you understand the importance of the direction of light half the battle has been won.

For example, when you first walk into a room for an indoor portrait or bridal session the most obvious light source is likely from a window. With window light there are three common lighting scenarios you can create by simply changing your camera and subject position to the light.

Flat Lighting

In this scenario, the window is behind you (you have your back to the window) thus soft light is falling onto your subject. There is no light coming into the lens compared to if you were shooting into the window. Usually the lighting is even and flat with no shadows, provided, of course, that there is no direct sunlight coming through the window.

Here the light was behind the camera providing a nice even light across the groom’s face.

Back Lighting

A backlighting situation is created when you’re shooting into the light (the camera is facing the window). Shooting into the light will cause a lack or loss of contrast in your image, and the background will most likely blow out and be over exposed. You may also choose to shoot this way to purposely eliminate distracting details that maybe outside like a building or car that detracts from the scene.

This is okay if that’s the look you’re going for or you’re shooting a silhouette, but for a portrait it’s usually not the most flattering light.

Here I chose to purposely backlight the bridal party. So the light wasn’t coming directly into the lens and to try and retain some contrast, I simply turned the blinds slightly so the light wasn’t coming directly through the window as much.

Split or Side Lighting

Having your subject next to the window and shooting parallel to it can be a good way to create some shape, tone, and texture by defining highlight and shadow detail in the face and body. It’s also a great way of hiding or highlighting certain features that might be prominent. For example, if your model has blemishes on one side of her face, to hide or minimize this simply place that side of the face in shadow and or crop it out entirely if possible.

Here the light was coming from camera left, which also makes her the brightest part of the image compared to the darker back ground. The bride and I were standing parallel to the window.

Light with Intention

To highlight your subject’s face, rather than the torso or arms which are bigger in proportion to the face, simply turn their body away from the light source and turn their face back toward the camera.

Also if you can find a location where the background tone is darker than the subject it will help make the model stand out as the center of interest in your image. This could mean choosing a location in the house which has a darker midrange tone not a white or cream. It’s also most likely going to be out of focus anyway.

Here the light was coming from the window to the right of the bride (from camera view). I asked the bride to turn her body away from the light (to my left, her right) and then bring her face back towards the window. This is how I achieved the shadow detail on her left side of her face and body. I was also shooting from the shadow side or her face.

Quality of Light

Sun light, window light, reflected light, diffused light and back light all have a different quality of light. Direct light sources tend to be harsher and will show skin imperfections easier. Direct midday sunlight can create hard shadows in the eye sockets which can look like dark bags.

If you have to shoot during midday, remember that the light is coming from directly above. So wherever possible find poses to get the models to tilt their heads up towards the sunlight so their entire face is lit to avoid having horrible bags under their eyes.

Look at the quality of light and if it is too harsh like direct sunlight it may be a good idea to introduce some sort of diffuser like a scrim, or get into the shade.

Here I was shooting indoors, but the light coming through the window was too harsh. So I asked my assistant to hold a scrim in the window which created a beautiful even soft quality of light.

Sometimes natural reflectors can be found at the locations where you’re shooting. So if you see a white wall or big white truck and the sun is hitting it, that is now a diffused light source and will be much softer than a direct light source like the sun.

This image was taken outdoors before sunset using a translucent reflector as a diffuser. I asked my assistant to hold the reflector in-between the subjects and myself. This created beautiful, soft, non-direction diffused light on their faces filling in all shadows. The natural sunlight behind them added a nice soft highlight to her hair. You can even see the reflection of the reflector (catch lights) in their eyes.

Conclusion

With all these tips in mind, the most important thing to remember is that all light is not created equally. The best thing I can suggest is to go out and just practice for an hour or so at different times of day with varying light sources to see what works and what doesn’t. This way you’ll have confidence on your next the wedding day or portrait photography shoot.

The post What is Good Light and How to Use it to Create Beautiful Portraits by Andrew Szopory appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

July 12, 2017
Do You Need a Photography Resume?
In the photography world, there is a lot of emphasis on having a portfolio, but hardly any attention is ever given to the photography resume. So do you even need a photography resume at all? The question is largely debatable and boils down to the type of photography you are aiming to do. In this post, I’ll highlight some scenarios when you might need a photography resume (along with what to include in it), and when you do not likely need one.

When You Might Need a Photography Resume

In my seven years of working as a freelance corporate photographer, I’ve been asked to present a photography resume only a handful of times. Each time, it was when I was being considered for a part-time or full-time photography role. If you’re applying for a salaried photography position within a company or being listed with a creative agency, this is when you might need a resume.

While it’s rare for any commercial client to require a resume for a freelance photography job, it’s still good to have one on hand just in case. But if your target client is non-commercial with a focus on something such as weddings or families, you probably won’t ever need to submit a photography resume.

When You (Probably) Don’t Need a Resume

For most freelance photographers, it’s rare that a client will ask for a resume in order to be considered for a gig. Typically, the emphasis for freelance photo shoots is more on your portfolio and how you handle your correspondence (i.e., email, phone calls, in-person meetings). This is true for both consumer (eg. wedding, family) and commercial (eg. corporate event, headshot) photographers.

Can you imagine a bride asking a wedding photographer for a resume? Or better yet, can you imagine what a wedding photographer’s resume might look like? Having a list of all of the weddings a photographer has ever shot doesn’t matter unless you’re aiming to be a celebrity wedding photographer.

Keep a Resume on File

The good news is that resumes aren’t terribly difficult to create, especially with the existence of LinkedIn. For all of the naysayers who don’t find LinkedIn relevant, I admit that it may be more or less useful depending on where you’re located. Here in Seattle, LinkedIn is a very active recruiting tool and social network where you can also store your electronic resume for anyone can see. As a full-time freelance photographer, I think it’s a good thing to have my professional resume seen by as many prospective clients as possible.

What to put on your resume

What should you include on your resume? There are a few staple items that should definitely be included, but the rest of the details depend entirely on why you’re submitting the photography resume in the first place. Personally, I have zero educational background or full-time employment that has anything to do with photography. Yet I still include my education and work experience to show that I have some.

As for my position as a full-time freelance photographer, I list that as my most current work experience. Writing the description for this position was rather awkward at first, but it actually became quite interesting when I put all of the skills I actually perform as a photographer into words. Consider every single part of your photo shoot workflow, from scouting and booking locations to post-production and delivering final photos to your client under tight deadlines. There are a lot of professional skills that go into being a photographer, so detail it out for both yourself and prospective clients. Include the following:
1. Your name and contact info.
2. Educational background.
3. Any relevant experience you have.
Focus on Your Portfolio

Instead, what should matter to are these things:

A Curated Portfolio

As a photographer, your portfolio IS your resume. It should contain only your very best work that visually showcases your skills. How many images you choose to include in your portfolio is completely up to you, but generally, 15-20 images per category is a good amount.

Testimonials From Clients

Testimonials are basically your references. They should be short, accurate statements that reflect your process and what your client liked about working with you. Although it’s rare for anyone to actually call and verify your testimonials, they’re still important to include as they give the potential client a glimpse at what others think.

By James Royal-Lawson

Client List

Most consumer (wedding, family) photographers won’t need a client list unless the names of the couples and families are recognizable. However, commercial or corporate photographers may want to include a list of notable clients with whom they have worked. Typically, it’s okay to just make a list of client brand names, but you can also include tear sheets (a screenshot or copy of your published final product). This helps prospective clients get an idea of the types of clients and projects you’ve worked with before.

Case Studies

Consider taking your portfolio a step further than the average photographer by including a few case studies. Simply pick your top 3-5 photography clients that you’ve worked with, and include the best 5-10 images to showcase from each project. Use those images along with some personal written commentary that describes how you decided to tackle the photo shoot. Also, consider adding any behind-the-scenes photos or diagrams that show any setup details. Use these case studies to show off how you approach a photo shoot. After all, a prospective client wants to know not only that you can create an image, but what it’s like to work with you.

In Conclusion

Depending on your ultimate goal as a photographer, you may or may not ever have to create a photography resume. It depends entirely on what you strive to achieve as a photographer. What are your thoughts on having and using a photography resume?

The post Do You Need a Photography Resume? by Suzi Pratt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
July 11, 2017
How to Make Headshots That Glow

I’d like to share a particular technique I use to capture a “glowing subject” effect for headshots. You may be disappointed to hear that, by glow effect, I don’t mean your headshots will literally glow, like in the dark, because they most likely won’t. But that’s okay because this technique is actually better than that and who wants a headshot that literally glows anyway? To the point, when set up correctly, you’ll end up with a subtle, spotlight-like feel on your subject which appears to glow, hence the title of this article.

The process

The process consists of a pretty straight forward lighting setup involving the use of different light levels for your key and background light and a fairly long lens. Essentially, you emphasize your subject by allowing light and focus to fall off as it moves toward the background. Here are the details:

To get the effect I use a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens at around 200mm. I recommend a long and fairly fast lens zoomed all the way into the longest focal length. A long (telephoto) lens will compress the scene and keep your subject from appearing distorted and bent, the way a wide lens would. It will also give you a nice, shallow, depth of field.

Background choice

You’ll want to choose your background first before setting up all of your lights. Unless, of course, you enjoy moving them around for the exercise, which I don’t. I often like to add some interest to each headshot by choosing a background that suggests a kind of “on location” environment. I set mine up in the studio, but backgrounds like this can be found almost anywhere.

Keep in mind that the background will be soft in the final photo as a result of using the long end of the 200mm lens and a large aperture, so plan accordingly. To find your background you may find it helpful to focus on something close, reframe, and get some shots of your background out of focus just for test purposes.

Also, keep in mind that you’re going to place your subject at least six to seven feet from the background. Make sure you have room to do this while also having the appropriate distance in front of your subject to frame a good headshot at 200mm. To be safe, give yourself 15 feet in front of the subject.

Lighting

After finding a good background, it’s time to set up the lights. First, I’d like to give special thanks to my model, the mannequin, for participating in this demo.

Main light

The setup I’m using here is called clamshell lighting, with a rim light or kicker (whichever you prefer to call it, also known as an accent light) added on the side of the face. The main light is above the subject and centered. I most often use an AlienBees B800 light with a beauty dish modifier, softened with a diffusion sock or two. Sometimes I’ll use more than one sock so that I can effectively keep my aperture around f/3.5 or maybe even f/2.8 with no sync-speed issues. If you’d like to sculpt the light further, try using a grid on the beauty dish.

I’ve also used a large octabox in place of the beauty dish. However, I think the beauty dish works well for this particular look. I won’t go into great detail about how to best use a beauty dish, but ideally, you’ll want to line the center reflector up with the subject’s face.

Adjust the light depending on your subject’s bone structure, moving it further up and in for more definition in the cheeks, etc. Typically I have the dish about two feet back from the subject (toward camera) and about a foot overhead, focused down at an angle. Boom the light and beauty dish over the subject with a c-stand or whatever boom arm you may have handy.

Addition lights and reflectors

Next, add a reflector under the subject’s face (right above waist level or just out of frame) to bounce light back up and fill the shadows under the chin. The size of the reflector really comes down to what you’re comfortable using.

Use a strip softbox with a grid for the rim or kicker light. I’ll place the light a few feet behind the subject and about two feet off to one side or the other, aimed back at the subject. Set this light to an exposure equal to your key light (as low as it goes with an AlienBees B800).

Lastly, set up a background light. You can use any method of diffusion you have at your disposal for your background light. I try to keep mine fairly soft and even. The trick is to underexpose your background a few stops. By this, I mean a couple of stops under the exposure of your subject.

How many stops is a matter of personal preference. However, you don’t want to go too dark or have an exposure too similar to your subject’s exposure, or you’ll loose the effect. Because the key and rim are already set to the lowest light level, you’re going to want to either use heavy diffusion or put some distance between your light and background. Turning the light away from the background works too. Underexposing the background a couple of stops is a critical part of the process.

Conclusion

That’s it. Don’t forget to thank our model, the mannequin, and you should be ready to go! Or shall I say, ready to glow? Hmmm.

Please post any questions or comments you have in the area below, and remember to share your headshots as well.

The post How to Make Headshots That Glow by Carlisle Kellam appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

July 11, 2017

How to Adapt to any Situation for Portrait Photography

We all make plans and we all have expectations. Then when portrait photography, we want these plans to work well. We’ve got customers to please, memories to create and stories to tell. Plus clients have expectations. They want their pictures to look a certain way. They’ve hired you to recreate that vision.

As a professional, you need to be ready for anything

So when the best-laid plans fall apart, you’ve got to adapt. If you’re shooting portraits professionally, you need to remember that part of the reason you are being paid is you can produce great images no matter the circumstance. This is the difference between you and an amateur. You have the skills and know how to make any situation work.

How to Adapt to any Situation for Portrait Photography

I used the white sheet and the black couch for this family portrait. Then in post-processing added a vintage feel to the image.

Have a plan and a backup plan

I can’t stress this enough. It’s important to meet with clients and discuss plans for the shoot. Among the topics, you should discuss a backup plan. What will do if the weather doesn’t cooperate for an outdoor shoot? What if the children won’t cooperate by sitting in a tree? There are all sorts of possibilities, and you need to discuss the fact that sometimes the plans may have to change.

I had the benefit of a large window behind me but because it was so grey and dark outside I also needed to use my lights.

Sometimes the simple solution is setting an alternate date in case of weather issues. Other times you might discuss the need to use a different location. I love shooting family sessions outdoors. I’ll be honest, I prefer it. Natural light is my best friend, and I have very little patience for setting up studio lights. If at all possible I shoot outdoors. But recently I had a situation where I was unable to set up a “rain date”. The family had only one day together, and if the session didn’t occur on that specific date, well it just wasn’t going to happen. But, I made a mistake, I forgot to discuss alternate plans.

The need to adapt quickly

On the date of the session, the weather was cold, grey, blustery and very unpleasant. We could have shot the session outdoors but the wind wasn’t going to help my cause, and it was too cold outside for their small children. I don’t think the kids would have cooperated. I was lucky, my clients were flexible, and we quickly worked to discuss an alternate plan.

The boys loved being able to crawl all over the couch and be silly. I made sure I had mom’s permission first.

They had a beautiful, large bay window. So we shifted some furniture, hung up my large white sheet as a backdrop, and used a large couch as a prop. It wasn’t an ideal setting, but it did the trick. My clients were happy with the results, and that’s all that matters.

The boys weren’t centered on the couch but I wasn’t worried, as it was more about capturing their relationship.

Suggestions for making it work on the fly:

Think outside the box. Be creative and look for places that will suit your purpose and still create an eye-catching image. You might use a bedroom or fireplace if you have to shoot indoors. Outdoors, maybe you could shoot underneath a large umbrella or veranda. The front door of a house can be quite attractive as well.
Don’t get nervous. Be calm and confident. This will ensure your clients that you are confident in your abilities. They, in turn, will relax and give you those amazing relaxed smiles you’re looking for and that you want to capture so much.
Always take a portable lighting kit to every session. You never know when you will need it. As much as I hate using the lights they’ve saved me so many times.
Make sure you have a really large backdrop and a white sheet. The white sheet can be pinned to the wall in a pinch or used as a large reflector if need be. I’ve even used the sheet to cover up an ugly floor.
Reassure clients that they are not the first to have plans change suddenly. Even if it is the first time, it’s ever happened to you, tell them it’s no big deal.
Go with the flow. Don’t be rigid, let things unfold as they will. If you always come to a photo shoot with a very specific plan, you may get easily flustered. Just relax and see what happens.
Rely on your skills, they are your biggest asset. Use all the knowledge you’ve gained to help you produce amazing images. Never forget all you’ve learned.

In this case, he lay on the floor near the window so we accessed all the light we could possibly get.

Conclusion

Portrait photography is often unpredictable but isn’t that the fun of it all? You never know what’s going to happen. Enjoy the rush that comes from turning a potential disaster into an amazing opportunity. Let it test your skills and push the limits of your creativity. Leave us some your tips for managing the unexpected in the comments section below. Tell us your anecdotal stories. We want to hear it all.

Leave us some your tips for managing the unexpected in the comments section below. Tell us your anecdotal stories. We want to hear it all.

He loved to pose for the camera so I let him. I later used a filter to create the vintage film look.

The parents relaxed when they saw how much fun the kids were having during the session.

The post How to Adapt to any Situation for Portrait Photography by Erin Fitzgibbon appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School

July 9, 2017

How to Make $500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock
I am an amateur photographer, but I make around $ 500 in revenue from my photos each month. Photography is a hobby for me, but it can be an expensive hobby at times. This money pays for photography software, computer hardware, and lenses, so the hobby I love doesn’t cost a dime. This article will discuss how I did this with microstock, and provide tips on how you can do the same.

Making your first buck

In 2010, I wanted to improve my photography so I purchased an entry-level DSLR and started to actively study how to become a better photographer, mainly from resources on the internet. As I tried different techniques, compositions, and camera settings, I posted my photos to sites like Flickr, Facebook, and 500px. In the beginning, I didn’t get very many views or likes but still enjoyed posting and learning from other photographer’s photos on those sites.

After shooting, learning, and posting for two and a half years, a design company saw a photo of mine on Flickr and asked if they could purchase a commercial license. I did a couple of quick searches about licensing and pricing on the internet, then sold my first commercial license for $ 75. This is the first photo I ever licensed.

Pay for your hobby

Before this first sale, I hadn’t considered selling licenses to my photos. However, I had gotten to the point where I wanted to upgrade my entry level DSLR and lenses to a full frame system but couldn’t justify the cost for my hobby. However, I could justify the cost to myself (and my wife) if the money for the upgrade came from licensing my existing photos.

Microstock

So, I started researching photo licensing and learned about microstock sites. These sites are websites that act as an intermediary between buyers of photo licenses and photographers. They are called “micro” because they typically sell photo licenses for less than where professional photographers have historically set their prices.

As a result, there is a lot of negative information about microstock sites on the Internet. Despite this negative information I decided to try posting my photos on Shutterstock, one of the most popular microstock sites. At the time, I had only made one sale ever so I felt that getting a small payment for each sale was better than no payment at all.

The first month I made less than $ 10 with 55 photos accepted by Shutterstock. However, I kept uploading my photos when I had time. A monthly later I had 100 photos on the site. In my third month, I checked my stats one morning and found I made $ 56 dollars from selling extended licenses from these two photos.

A work in progress – keep at it

This was a bit of beginner’s luck because after that I didn’t have a day with more than $ 50 in sales for many more months. But it kept me motivated to continue uploading my photos to Shutterstock and even upload to multiple other microstock sites as well.

I also started uploading my better photos to art-on-demand sites like Fine Art America. These sites allow you to upload your photos, set a price, and create a storefront for anyone to purchase prints of your photos. When someone purchases the art, these sites handle the payment, printing, and shipping of the photo and send you money from the sale.

Lastly, I upgraded my photo blog to sell licenses directly from my website. Despite the fact that my photos are available on all the popular microstock sites, stock photo buyers continue to see my photos on social media and purchase licenses directly from my website.

Realistic numbers – don’t expect to get rich

Two years after my first photo license sale, my monthly revenue from photos was about $ 500 a month. This $ 500 is an average, with my biggest month was $ 1400, while some months have been lower. Now that my photos have been posted, they can continue to get sales indefinitely. In 2016, I did not have much time for photography and only posted eight photos over the course of the year. However, I still averaged $ 460 a month in revenue from the photos I had posted in previous years.

These revenue numbers are for all the photos I have posted online. I only post my best photos from each day out shooting. My current online portfolio of all my photos is around 700 total. Microstock sites don’t accept all of my images, so on some of the sites, I only have 300 photos accepted and up for sale there. Doing the math, my photos earn less than $ 1 a month on average (per photo). And in reality, it is even less because I have one photo that has earned over $ 4000 over the years, while others have gotten no sales.

However, I am fine with this because I take the photos I want to take and then post to stock sites to see if they sell. Photography is still a hobby and the pleasure it gives me comes first, making money is secondary. Often, the photos I like best are not the best sellers on microstock sites. For example, I prefer the photo of me and my shadow below because I really enjoyed making it, but the snapshot I took of a split trail while on a hike, sells much better.

What sites work best

Although I have posted a portion of my collection to over 20 sites over the years, all of these sites can be categorized into one of two types; microstock and art-on-demand. 75% of my photography revenue has come from microstock sites, while only 8% came from art-on-demand sites. The remaining 17% is through direct sales from my photography website.

I have tried a number of art-on-demand sites over the years but currently only post to Fine Art America because it is the only site where my images consistently sell. I have also tried many microstock sites. Typically, if I hear of a new one, I will upload 100 of my best photos to begin. If I start to get sales, then I will upload the rest of my collection. Here are my top five microstock sites based on earnings. I currently only post to these five sites as I have found the other ones aren’t worth the time it takes to post the photos.
- Shutterstock
- 500px
- Fotolia / Adobe Stock
- 123RF
- Big Stock Photo (Owned by Shutterstock)
Last tips for you

If you are an amateur photographer who wants to make additional revenue from photo licenses, here are the steps you can take:
- Post your photos to social sites. My favorite is 500px, but I have also started posting to Instagram, and I still post to Flickr, which was my favorite a couple of years ago.
- Setup your own photography blog. My blog does not get as many photo views as my social sites, but all my social sites link back to my photo blog. It makes it easy for potential buyers to purchase licences if they see them on social media. I used Squarespace for my blog because it was easy to set up in one day.
- Upload photos to Shutterstock. Most microstock photographers who post their revenue on the web list Shutterstock as a top earner. So it is likely that if your photos will sell, they will sell on Shutterstock more than other sites, making it a good place to start.
- Upload photos to other stock sites. Once you see some success on Shutterstock then go ahead and post your top photos to other microstock sites.
Conclusion

It has been seven years since I decided to take photography seriously and I have improved a lot over the years. However, I still have a lot to learn, but these days the software, courses, and gear that help me make photos are all paid for by revenue from the sale of photo licenses, rather than out of the family budget from my day job.

NOTE from the dPS team: Check out our Going Pro Kit with more stock photo success tips and other ways to make money through your photography

The post How to Make $ 500 a Month From Your Photography Hobby with Microstock by James Wheeler appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
July 9, 2017
All Deals are Back – Photography eBooks, Presets and Courses at up to 88% Savings
It has been a big week with our dPS Mid Year Sale and we know thousands of our readers have picked up some great photography training at crazy low prices.

Today we have a special surprise for you – all our deals are back for one last time!

Each of the deals this week have been enjoyed by many readers but whenever we do deals like these we get emails from people to miss out – particularly as we know many of you are celebrating holidays at this time of year.

So – we decided to bring ALL the deals back for a couple of days to give those who missed out the chance to enjoy one of these bargains.

A quick reminder of what’s on offer in our dPS resources store:
- All of our eBooks are just $ 9 (normally $ 19-$ 49)
- All of our Lightroom Presets are $ 19 (normally $ 49)
- All of our Courses are $ 29 (normally $ 99)
And then there’s our 4 deals from our friends:
- Mastering Shutter Speed Course (save 62%)
- Phil Steele’s Photoshop Basics for Photographers (save 40%)
- Cole Joseph’s Photo Collage Tool for Lightroom (save 88%)
- Richard Scheider’s How to Photograph Fireworks eBook (save 55%)
All of our our dPS products and those from our partners come with no-risk money back satisfaction guarantees. Try them out and if you don’t love them simply let us know and we’ll arrange a full refund – no questions asked.

Whether you pick up just one or create a collection of training to last you the next 6 months – we hope you find something in what’s on offer this week that will help you take your photography to the next level.

But don’t wait too long – these deals will only last a couple more days and then they’ll be gone forever.

The post All Deals are Back – Photography eBooks, Presets and Courses at up to 88% Savings by Darren Rowse appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
July 8, 2017
How to Use Your Camera’s Color Profiles in Lightroom
Your camera has several color profiles that you can enable to change the look of your photos. On most cameras, these have names like Standard, Portrait, and Landscape. The names are fairly self-explanatory and tell you what each profile is designed to be used for. This article will show you how to use those camera color profiles in Lightroom.

This photo was taken with the Canon Portrait Picture Style color profile which is ideal for portraits.

Why do cameras have color profiles?

Back before digital photography, when everybody used film, it was common practice to select a film that suited the subject being photographed. A landscape photographer might use Fujifilm Velvia, a slide film that produced high contrast, deeply saturated images perfect for landscape photography. A portrait photographer, on the other hand, might use a film like Kodak Portra to create portraits with softer, more subtle colors.

When digital cameras first became available, all photos looked the same when it came to color. You could adjust parameters like contrast and saturation if you knew where to find the menu option, but there was no easy or straightforward way of doing so.

Then manufacturers started adding color profiles to their cameras. I’m using the term color profile deliberately because every manufacturer has a different name for it. They are listed below:
- Canon: Picture Style
- Nikon: Picture Control
- Fujifilm: Film Simulation Mode
- Sony: Creative Style
- Pentax: Custom Image
- Olympus: Picture Mode
Fujifilm’s approach is interesting because they have named their profiles after genuine film types. As a result, Fuji color profiles are more nuanced and subtle than those made by the other manufacturers. This new approach to color profiles is one of the features that sets Fujifilm cameras apart from the competition.

This image was taken with the Fujifilm Velvia color profile. This Film Simulation setting works well for landscape photos.

How to use color profiles

You can enable color profiles both in-camera and in Lightroom. Check out; The dPS Ultimate Guide to Getting Started in Lightroom for Beginners for more help.

In-camera color profiles are really designed for JPEG users. If you use the JPEG format, it’s important to choose the most appropriate profile as you cannot change it afterward in Lightroom. If you use Raw then it doesn’t matter which color profile you select as you can change it late in Lightroom (or ACR).

Color profiles in Lightroom

If you go to the Camera Calibration panel in Lightroom and look at the Profile menu you will find a list of your camera’s available color profiles. The options you see depend on the camera used to take the photo. Black and white profiles are only available for newer cameras.

These are the options presented in Lightroom for photos taken with my Canon EOS camera. The profiles in the red square emulate the camera’s built-in Picture Styles. The other profiles are Adobe Standard (present for all camera types) and those that came with a set of VSCO presets I purchased.

Some people recommend a top-to-bottom workflow in Lightroom’s Develop module. That is, you start at the top in the Basic panel and work your way down to Camera Calibration.

The only problem is that Color Profile is one of the most important settings in Lightroom. I recommend that you go to the Camera Calibration panel before you do anything else and select the profile you want to use first.

To see why, select a portrait in Lightroom, go to the Camera Calibration panel and select the Portrait profile (Fujifilm users can use the Camera Pro Neg. Hi setting). Take a good look at the skin tones. Now change the profile to Landscape (or Velvia for Fujifilm). See the difference that makes to the skin tones? Which looks more natural? This is why it’s so important to set the profile first.

Monochrome color profiles

Most cameras have several black and white (or monochrome) color profiles. Again, these are designed for JPEG shooters and are not much practical use for Raw users. The best way to convert a photo to black and white in Lightroom is to go to the Basic Panel and set Treatment to Black & White.

My article, How to Convert Photos to Black & White in Lightroom explains how to convert your photos to black and white in Lightroom in more detail.

Color profiles and White Balance

Color profiles work together with the White Balance setting on your camera to control the colors in your photos. For example, if you are shooting portraits you could set the profile to Portrait and White Balance to Cloudy to give your portraits a pleasing warm color cast.

Just like color profile, if you use the Raw format you can set the White Balance in Lightroom. This lets you decide how cool or warm you want your photos to be at the development stage.

Portrait developed using Portrait color profile and Cloudy White Balance. The result is warm and flattering.

Color profiles and Lightroom Develop Presets

Most cameras have less than ten color profiles. This doesn’t seem like a lot, especially compared to the wide variety of film types available to photographers 20 years ago. But it’s possible to create your own customized color profiles using Lightroom. The way to do this is to create a Develop Preset.

Let’s say that you like your camera’s Portrait color profile, but would prefer the colors to be less saturated. In this case, you could develop a portrait in Lightroom, using negative Vibrance or Saturation settings to reduce the intensity of the colors. You could also adjust the saturation settings in the HSL / Color / B&W panel. Then, create a new Develop Preset that saves those settings, and call it something like Portrait Preset.

Click the Plus icon in the Presets panel to create a new Develop Preset.

Decide which settings you want to include in the new Develop Preset by ticking the appropriate boxes. Give the preset a name and click Create.

Now you can apply that preset to any photo you like by going to the Presets panel in the Develop module and clicking on it. For example, I developed the following portrait by making adjustments to the HSL / Color / B&W panel and Tone Curve panels.

Once you are competent at using Lightroom’s Tone Curve and HSL / Color / B&W panels to control color you can create some very beautiful presets that you can use on your photos. Alternatively, you can take advantage of the knowledge of other photographers and buy Develop Presets that somebody else has created.

Conclusion

You can probably appreciate that the usefulness of Color Profiles depends very much on your personal workflow. If you use the JPEG format then both color profile and White Balance settings determine the way the colors in your photos come out. So, it is really important to get both settings right when you take the photo.

But if you are like most photographers and you shoot Raw, you can leave that decision until the post-processing stage. You can even go further, using Lightroom’s color control tools to alter the colors in your photos.

If you have any questions about any of this, please let me know in the comments below.

Are you a fan of the natural/vintage look in portraits? Then check out my Vintage Portrait Presets for Lightroom. There are over 30 presets to help you create beautiful portraits in Lightroom.

The post How to Use Your Camera’s Color Profiles in Lightroom by Andrew S. Gibson appeared first on Digital Photography School.

Digital Photography School
July 8, 2017