Abstract: Chromatically complex light adds much more realism to your lit photos.
Today’s Lighting 103 post features excerpts from a bar conversation with Greg Heisler. It's just as if we cornered him at a conference (which I did) and he agreed to have a drink and talk color (which he did).
This is roadmap stuff. It's above and beyond the specific info he includes with each of the assignments in his book, 50 Portraits, the companion text to L103.Read more »
Strobist
Previews are an essential part of the Lightroom workflow. But with so many different types of Lightroom previews, it’s easy to get confused. For example, do you know the difference between minimal, standard and 1:1 previews? Or what a Smart Preview does? Or why 1:1 previews are useless in the Develop module?
The differences are more than academic. The way you use previews makes a big difference to Lightroom’s speed and efficiency. If you want Lightroom to run at optimal speed, you need to build the right previews. Let’s take a look at how to do that.
If you open a photo in Photoshop, there is no preview. You are looking at the photo itself. So why does Lightroom need previews? The answer lies in the fact that Photoshop and Lightroom edit photos in different ways.
Photoshop is a pixel editor. It changes the pixels of your photo and saves those changes in the file. Lightroom is a parametric editor. It doesn’t change the original photo file in any way. Instead, it keeps a record of any changes made to the photo in the Catalog. As the original photo is unchanged, Lightroom needs to use previews to show you how your photos look after you have edited them.
Let’s take a look at each of the different types of Lightroom previews.
There are several types of preview you can build in the Library module. Previews are used by Lightroom to display your photos in the Library module. They help you view, zoom, rate, and flag photos – all the organizational stuff you want to do in this section.
Whenever you import photos into Lightroom it gives you the option of selecting the type of preview to build. There are four choices. The first two (Minimal and Embedded & Sidecar) are relevant if you want to import photos quickly and are happy with a low-resolution preview.
These are the smallest previews possible. Minimal previews save space and time but don’t give you a high-quality Library module preview.
This option uses the preview built into the Raw file if there is one.
Minimal and Embedded & Sidecar previews are temporary. If you choose either of these options Lightroom builds its own better quality previews as soon as it can. This slows down the browsing process in the Library module. For this reason, I only recommend selecting Minimal or Embedded & Sidecar previews when you need to import photos rapidly.
The next two options are ones you are most likely to use. They give you good quality previews that you can use to view photos.
Builds a preview for viewing images in Loupe View, but without zooming in. You can set the size of standard previews in the Catalog Settings. The best option to pick is Auto. With Auto, Lightroom builds previews that match your monitor resolution.
Lightroom takes longer to build Standard previews than it does to create Minimal or Embedded & Sidecar previews. But the benefit is that the Library module runs much faster.
The only problem with Standard previews is that they are not designed for zooming into your photos. When you zoom in, Lightroom has to build a 1:1 preview. So there’s a delay that slows the Library module down in displaying your image full size.
The best quality previews of all are 1:1, but it’s the one that takes longest to build. This is a full-size preview that lets you zoom into your photos at 100% when looking at them in Loupe view. With 1:1 previews there is no delay when you zoom into a photo.
The only drawback of 1:1 previews is that they take up a lot of hard drive space. Lightroom handles that by discarding 1:1 previews after a set amount of time. The default is 30 days, but you can change that in the Catalog settings if you need to.
Adobe introduced Smart Previews in Lightroom 5. A Smart Preview is a high-quality, highly compressed preview that measures 2540 pixels along the longest edge. Smart Previews are used by Lightroom CC to synchronize with Lightroom mobile and Lightroom web.
The option to create Smart Previews is available in the Import window.
Smart Previews are different from the other Library module previews because they can also be used in the Develop module. The advantage of this is that you can develop photos using Smart Previews when the hard drive containing your original photo files isn’t connected to your hard drive.
This feature lets you use Smart Previews to develop photos while you are traveling. All you need is a laptop, a copy of your Lightroom Catalog and the preview files containing Library module previews (1:1, standard, etc.) and Smart Previews. So you don’t have to take the hard drive containing the original photos and worry about losing it while on the road.
If you’re a Lightroom CC subscriber Smart Previews also let you use Lightroom mobile and Lightroom web.
The Lightroom folder contains the Lightroom Catalog and the preview folders you need to run Lightroom on any computer.
Earlier I said that Smart Previews are both highly compressed and high-quality. This sounds like a contradiction but it’s true. I don’t know how Adobe have done it but the result is that you can’t tell a Smart Preview apart from a full-size preview in terms of image quality. The only difference is that a Smart Preview is smaller.
You can build Standard, 1:1, or Smart Previews at any time in the Library module by selecting the images and going to Library > Previews and selecting the preview type required. The option to build Minimal or Embedded & Sidecar previews only appears in the Import window.
When you switch from the Library module to the Develop module the preview Lightroom uses to display your photos changes. Lightroom renders high-quality previews that let you see the result of actions like adding sharpening, applying noise reduction, and retouching images.
These previews are cached rather than saved in a preview file, otherwise, they would rapidly eat up most of your hard drive space.
Creating 1:1 previews in the Library module makes no difference to the speed at which Lightroom renders previews in the Develop module. But if a Smart Preview exists for the photo Lightroom uses the Smart Preview instead of rendering a Develop module preview under one of two conditions.
a. The hard drive containing the original photo file is disconnected from the computer.
b. You have Lightroom CC 2015.7 or Lightroom 6.7 or later, the hard drive containing the original photo file is connected to the computer, and you have the Use Smart Previews instead of Original for image editing preference enabled in Preferences (see below). Note that if you zoom into 1:1 Lightroom stops using the Smart Preview and renders a full-size preview instead.
Smart Previews are smaller than full-size previews. That enables Lightroom to run faster when Smart Previews are used in the Develop module. The speed increase can be quite significant. If you don’t need to zoom into your photos at 100% magnification then the benefits are considerable.
Lightroom previews are somewhat confusing, especially for newcomers to the software. This is hardly surprising considering there are six types of them! So let’s keep things simple. These are my recommended previews to use.
When you import images into Lightroom, choose either Standard or 1:1 previews. If you intend to zoom into your images while viewing them in Loupe view, you definitely want to pick 1:1 previews. Otherwise, pick Standard.
If you’re a Lightroom CC subscriber and you want to view the images in Lightroom mobile or Lightroom web then tick the Build Smart Previews box. Do the same if you intend to use Smart Previews in the Develop module.
Any questions? Let me know in the comments section below.
If you’d like to learn more about Lightroom, then please check out my popular Mastering Lightroom ebooks.
The post Why There are 6 Types of Lightroom Previews and How to Use Them by Andrew S. Gibson appeared first on Digital Photography School.
As a writer for Digital Photography School, one of the most frequently asked questions I receive from beginner and intermediate photographers is, “If I have to choose just ONE lens to buy right now, which one should I choose?” We’ve previously discussed the differences between a 24mm lens and a 50mm lens for photographing people, and in that same vein, it’s time for another lens showdown!
In this article, we’ll be discussing the differences between an 85mm and a 50mm lens for photographing people. Once again, I’ll walk you through several sets of similar images taken with each lens so that you can easily see the differences between the two. Hopefully, you can walk away with a better understanding of which lens might be the best upgrade for you.
To keep things consistent, all images in this article were taken with a Canon 60D, and either the Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens or the Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens. The Canon 60D is an APS-C sensor (cropped sensor) camera, so in order to determine the functioning focal length of these lenses on this camera, multiply the lens focal length by 1.6 (multiply by 1.5 if you use Nikon). So on a cropped sensor camera, the 50mm lens functions roughly as an 80mm lens, and the 50mm lens functions as a 136mm lens.
This image was taken with Canon 85mm lens at f/1.8.
One of the biggest differences between the 85mm lens and the 50mm lens is the distance that you’ll need to stand from your subject. With the 85mm lens, the minimum focusing distance is 2.8 ft, and with the 50mm lens, the minimum focusing distance is 1.15 ft.
This means that in general, you will be standing further away from your subject with the 85mm lens, than you will with the 50mm. In turn, this decreases the depth of field, which means that images shot with the 85mm lens tend to have much blurrier bokeh than images shot with the 50mm lens, even when using the same aperture.
This image was taken with a Canon 50mm at f/1.8.
You can see the difference clearly in the cherry blossoms in the background of the two images above, both of which were shot at f/1.8. The cherry blossoms are fairly well blurred in both images, but the shape of the blossoms is more defined in the image taken with the 50mm lens, and the blossoms are significantly more blurred and creamy in the image that with the 85mm lens.
Of course, everyone has a different preference when it comes to bokeh. Some prefer the more uniform creaminess that the 85mm lens offers, while other photographers prefer to have a little more definition in the background.
Left: 85mm lens | Right: 50mm lens.
You may even find that you prefer different approaches in different applications! For example, I usually favor the more uniform bokeh of the 85mm lens. However, when I’m photographing in the grass, I prefer the bit of texture which the 50mm lens provides (see the examples above).
This is purely a matter of preference, so start making mental notes about which type of images you tend to prefer when you look at other photographers’ work. If you find that you are always drawn to the creamier texture, then the 85mm lens may be a better fit for you. If you prefer a bit more texture in the background, you may want to consider the 50mm lens instead.
This image was taken with 50mm lens.
In addition, spend some time thinking about the content of your backdrops. Using an 85mm lens will result in an image that is more closely framed on your subject. On the other hand, shooting with the 50mm lens will result in an image that includes more of the background (though not nearly as much as shooting with the Canon 24mm lens).
Do you happily hike up to the top of a mountain for a photo session? You might want to consider the 50mm lens in order to more fully capture the trees and vistas in the background behind your portrait subject(s).
This image was taken in exactly the same place as the previous one, only using the 85mm lens instead of the 50mm.
On the other hand, do you often find yourself trying to disguise the background in your images? Do you shoot on location with backgrounds that are sometimes out of your control and/or unpredictable? In that case, you may want to consider the 85mm lens.
When you combine the decreased depth of field of the 85mm lens with the closer framing of your subject, the 85mm lens is stellar at creating beautiful portrait images at almost any location.
This image was taken with 50mm lens.
Remember when I said that when you’re using an 85mm lens you’ll be standing further away from your subject than you would be using a 50mm lens? Here’s another reason why that’s important to know, I almost never use my 85mm lens inside our home.
Our house is just over 1,000 square feet, and depending on the room, sometimes I physically cannot back up far enough to use my 85mm lens. Aside from official photography business, it’s important to me to be able to capture little day to day moments of our family, and so having a fast lens that I can use indoors is a must-have for me.
As much as I love my 85mm lens, it just isn’t a great fit for that purpose given the size of our home. Your mileage may vary.
This image was taken with 85mm lens.
On the other hand, when we’re outdoors I often prefer my 85mm lens. In that situation, standing further away from my subjects is a good thing. I can let my kids play and have fun without being all up in their business. Having a bit more space between them and the camera means that they’re able to relax more easily, which in turn leads to more genuine expressions and candid smiles.
As you can see, both of these lenses are great for capturing portrait-style images of people – I personally keep both in my camera bag and use them with near equal frequency.
That said, if you’re only able to purchase one lens right now, both lenses have situations in which they outshine the other, so it’s important for you to think realistically about your preferences and the way you’ll use a portrait lens most often in order to get the most bang for your buck!
If you have one of these lenses – which do you use the most for people photography?
The post Comparing a 50mm Versus 85mm Lens for Photographing People by Meredith Clark appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Instagram is unquestionably one of the biggest social networks today, and it’s undeniable that every photographer should have a presence here. But if you’re like me, you’ve probably struggled to amass a following beyond your existing friends and colleagues. So how do you truly (and organically) grow your Instagram following? Here are some tips.
When I first started my personal Instagram account, my posts were all across the board. From pictures of my breakfast to photos of a recent vacation or cute dogs I met in my neighborhood, there was no consistency to my Instagram feed. My followers didn’t know what to expect when they looked at my feed, and thus there was no incentive to follow me. As a result, I decided to revamp my approach to Instagram.
My personal Instagram shifted to focus purely on food, restaurant, and event photos as an extension of my professional photography portfolio. Since making this shift, my personal account has seen a drastic jump in followers, as well as interaction with my individual posts. I’ve also built a community of food, restaurant, and event Instagrammers, many of whom I’ve even met in real life at InstaMeets (more on this below). As for my travel photos, those now live on a brand new Instagram account that I’m still growing from scratch. While overall followers for this account are still minimal, interaction with posts has steadily gone up using the rest of the tactics below.
The lesson here is that keeping your posts consistent in either style or subject matter will give people a clear incentive to follow you. People will follow you when they’re interested in the photos that you post, so you must give them an idea of what to expect, and when to expect it. Make sure you post at least several times a week, or maybe even more often if you can come up with enough content or have a larger following. Also pick one or two themes to focus your photos on, for example, food photography or travel photography. This will help you pick out relevant hashtags to post.
Many Instagram users are electing to have at least two separate accounts; one for their personal posts, and one for their more professional, targeted posts. If you go this route, Instagram has made it easy to switch from viewing and posting from multiple accounts via Options > Add Accounts. You’ll have to sign in to your second account; afterward, a dropdown menu will appear under your profile name and you can flip between your accounts.
In order to have your posts be seen on any social network, you have to understand how new content gets discovered. For Instagram, it’s all about hashtags. But don’t just invent hashtags out of thin air. Instead, you leverage existing hashtags that are both relevant to the photo you are posting, and hashtags that have been used by other people. Note that Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags per post, so add as many as you can!
So where do you find relevant hashtags to use? Here are some ideas.
Check out the Top 100 Popular Hashtags section on Websta. This will give you a sense of how popular certain hashtags are. The more photos or posts that are tagged with these popular hashtags, the more eyeballs are scanning them, meaning there’s a higher chance of gaining more likes for your content. However, you’re also more likely to get spam comments on your posts, which is why you should not only use super popular hashtags but also drill down into more niche hashtags, per the steps below.
As mentioned above, it’s important to focus your Instagram posts around specific topics, such as food or travel. Not only does it help you figure out what types of photos to post, but it also gives you ideas of other Instagram profiles to emulate. For example, an account focusing on food photography might look up Instagram handles for leading food publications such as Bon Appetit and Food and Wine. Follow these handles and also study their Instagram posts. Do they use a bunch of hashtags? Consider using them too. And most importantly, check to see if they offer a hashtag that you can use for a chance to be featured on their account. If so, start using it! More details on leveraging Instagram hubs over in
For example, an account focusing on food photography might look up Instagram handles for leading food publications such as Bon Appetit and Food and Wine. Follow these handles and also study their Instagram posts. Do they use a bunch of hashtags? Consider using them too. Most importantly, check to see if they offer a hashtag that you can use for a chance to be featured on their account. If so, start using it! More details on leveraging Instagram hubs over in this article.
It’s totally fine to reuse the same hashtags on your posts, as long as they are relevant to each photo. But instead of typing in your hashtags over and over, consider keeping them in your note-taking app (ie. Evernote) and simply copying and pasting them into your new Instagram posts. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but it is much more efficient than typing in your 30 hashtags to every new post.
When it comes to Instagram, you have to give a little in order to receive. While experimenting with my brand new Instagram account, I noticed that simply adding hashtags to my photos simply wasn’t enough. My very first Instagram posts had a bunch of hashtags, but only gained 6 or 7 likes. Suddenly, my third post jumped up to 39 likes. What changed?
One of my first Instagram photos, posted before doing any interaction.
Immediately after I published that post, I spent five minutes scrolling through my Instagram feed and interacting with as many posts that caught my eye. The interaction was simple in the form of adding likes and a quick comment or emoji. This not only gave me new ideas of accounts to follow but also seemed to bring more people to my profile since the number of likes on my posts immediately skyrocketed. The bottom line; be an active Instagrammer, not only by adding new posts, but also interacting with your followers or new people you discover.
Another Instagram photo, posted the same week with many more likes thanks to interaction with other Instagrammers.
The absolute best way to organically grow your Instagram followers is to meet them in real life. Thankfully, Instagram has picked up on this and has a section on their site where you can find local InstaMeets or even coordinate one for your area. Also, consider checking Meetup for local Instagram meetups or photography clubs that might hold an Instagram-specific meetup. Attend these events to connect with local photographers, and be sure to follow each other on Instagram and interact with each others’ posts.
One of the best ways to get more viewers (and hopefully follower) of your Instagram account is to put it in front of as many people as possible. There are many ways to do this. Here are a few ideas:
When you make a new Instagram post, cross-publish it to other networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or Flickr by selecting the respective icons when you create a new post.
Setting up linked accounts on Instagram.
If you have a website or blog, there’s a good chance that you attract brand new visitors via search engines on occasion. Make it easy for these website visitors to connect with you on social media platforms like Instagram by embedding your feed into your website. For websites hosted on WordPress, there are many free Instagram embed plugins that can do this for you.
Whenever you send emails, there’s an opportunity to get your Instagram in front of the email recipient via your email signature. Use a service such as WiseStamp to include a link to your profile or even embed your feed into your email signature. Just make sure that your Instagram feed is full of images and content that you don’t mind being seen by people you email.
Like most other social networks, Instagram occasionally rolls out new features. While not all of these features may stick around or be worth your while, you could certainly experiment with them to see if they can work to your advantage. At the time of this writing, here are two brand new features worth trying out.
Instagram Stories is like Snapchat where you can post a photo or video that can only be viewed for a limited period of time before it is deleted. What’s the point? For professional photographers or brands, Instagram Stories can be great for posting behind-the-scenes shots from photo shoots. They’re also great for posting mediocre photos that might not be worth permanently adding to your Instagram portfolio but assist in building your brand’s personality.
Finally, Instagram is allowing users to post up multiple photos at a time. If you’re thinking, “Wait, Instagram already lets me do this with the Layout By Instagram Collage app,” this is slightly different. Instead of displaying photos in a collage format, you can view up to ten photos in a slideshow This gives you greater flexibility in publishing longer form visual stories and not having to choose just one photo out of a batch.
Posting multiple photos via Layouts by Instagram Collage app.
Posting multiple photos via the multiple photos feature.
Another new feature Instagram recently rolled out is the ability to convert your personal account into a business profile. Currently, this feature is only enabled if you link your Facebook page to your Instagram account; after doing so, a button should appear at the top of your profile asking if you want to switch to a business profile.
Why switch to a business profile? Well, you’ll get some enhanced features that can help you craft a better Instagram strategy such as:
Organically growing your Instagram followers isn’t as difficult as it may seem. But don’t expect it to happen overnight. Craft a consistent, long-term approach that incorporates some of the tips above and your Instagram interaction will slowly but surely start to increase!
Do you have any tips for growing your Instagram following? Please share them in the comments below! Follow dPS on Instagram here too.
The post How to Organically Grow Your Instagram Following by Suzi Pratt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Location scouting to find the ideal spot is just as important as what camera settings you use. Don’t miss this important first step in order to get your perfect sunset photograph.
“Hi. Are you a photographer?” a young voice called to me.
“Hello,” I turned back and replied to a smiling and inquisitive face. It was a little girl with a point-and-shoot camera.
“Yes, I am,” I nodded in affirmation. The backpack and tripod were a dead giveaway.
“This is so beautiful,” and after a moment of watching me, “Aren’t you going to take a photo?” the girl continued, as she scrutinized me searching for something in between granite boulders on the beach but not taking photos.
Composing for the water channel.
Mother Nature had put on a mesmerizing show of stormy clouds and light at Camps Bay Beach in Cape Town, and it seemed that almost everyone had their cameras and cell phones pointed towards the far horizon. Our brains are programmed to do routine work subconsciously, like changing gears of a car.
For a landscape photographer, scouting for a good location is part of the job. It can be a challenging, albeit fun routine, and I was doing exactly that an hour prior to what was going to be a stunning sunset. In fact, I find it quite therapeutic to search for a good spot. You pay attention to details and discover small wonders in the process.
Lightning strike while location scouting.
The question from the little girl triggered a lot of possible answers in my mind. “I am trying to make a good photo,” could be one of the answers, but it would have confused her even more, so I told her that I was looking for an interesting pattern of rocks for my sunset shot. My quest resumed after she and I finished chatting.
Nature’s wonder.
In my journey of landscape photography thus far, I have learned that the main characteristics to look for are good light and composition. After you find these, you need good camera settings and technique to capture the moment.
The light is not within your control. But you need to gain knowledge of the terrain, keep an eye on the weather and clouds, and possibly go around dawn or dusk to get softer colors and light.
The choice of composition is yours based on your own style and preferences. As a landscape photographer, you need to have an aesthetic sense that attracts viewers to your images, a style that will become your own. Composition is a topic in itself, but obviously, the key is choosing a location that provides good subjects (e.g. a waterfall, mountains, icebergs, boulders, trees, rocks) or something that appeals and possibly tells a story.
Camera settings and techniques come with experience. Do not compare it to the value of the equipment you own – the simplest equipment can take a great shot. The only way you can get better is by taking photos, learning more about the basics, and correcting yourself after making mistakes. If you can invest in the best camera, filters, tripods and other accessories, then that’s a bonus. Whatever equipment you own, you must know its full capabilities and how to make good use of it.
Camp Bay boulders.
The day I met the girl, I was at one of the most picturesque beaches in the world, Camps Bay. The location and subjects were there, but I still had to work to narrow down my composition for the sunset.
I needed to make decisions such as; Am I going to set up on the sand or in between the boulders? Should I go on the mossy rocks or stand in the water?
The light, as per my assessment of the weather forecast, was going to be perfect if the clouds allowed the sun to peek through the horizon. I brought the lens and camera of my choice, filters, shutter release, and tripod to take photos in low light.
After some exploration, I settled upon a water channel between two massive granite boulders. My test shot looked promising. My hunt for an agreeable foreground was finally over. The water would make interesting patterns through that small ally, and the leaden clouds and orange sun would be my background.
Test shot with minimal post-processing.
I took another test shot and soon realized that the sun was going to be behind the boulder on the left, and I would miss it in my photo as I had miscalculated the angle. I re-evaluated the scene and adjusted my perspective to align the composition with the drowning sun. Careful use of camera settings, a polarizer, and a soft graduated ND filter yielded a result that I was satisfied with. Mission accomplished!
The water channel.
As you will see in the video (and image) below, I took an additional photo of this channel from a higher vantage point as well.
So the next time you see a landscape photographer rushing to and fro on a location, you must know that he is busy making a photo, as pressing the shutter button is only the last part of the job!
I hope these tips are helpful. Please share your questions and comments below.
Water channel from above.
The post Tips for Location Scouting to Get the Perfect Sunset Photograph by Mujahid Urrehman appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Several years ago, one of the local high schools near me put on an anti-bullying campaign called “Dude, Be Nice!” During the time that the campaign was going on, I’d often see students, parents, and teachers wearing navy blue t-shirts with the slogan in huge white lettering across the front. I loved seeing those shirts around town because they served as a reminder to me that I almost always have a choice as to whether my words tear someone down or build them up.
Since then, the phrase “Dude, Be Nice!” has become a kind of life motto for me (I even managed to get my hands on one of those t-shirts), and I think it is an especially relevant foundation for learning how to offer quality feedback in photography. Being nice is always the most important part in offering constructive criticism that is meaningful and will be heard.
Here are a few other tips that will help you master the art of constructive criticism:
Have you ever seen a photographer share an image on social media, saying how much they love this particular image, only to have some random person comment with criticism? Sometimes the comments may be constructive criticism, other times they’re just plain criticism like, ‘This photo sucks, and you’re a terrible photographer.” We don’t need to get into the dynamics of what might cause someone to leave the latter sort of comment because that’s just not worth any of our time.
One thing that we should spend a bit of time thinking about is whether the person you’re responding to is actually asking for constructive criticism. There are a lot of great Facebook groups for new photographers to give and receive constructive criticism. That’s an appropriate place to offer thoughtful feedback about another person’s image. However, a photographer’s personal Facebook page may not be an appropriate place for that sort of feedback. You obviously have the freedom to say whatever you’d like, but I’d argue that offering criticism (even if it is constructive) when it hasn’t been asked for is very rarely helpful.
Most of us have heard about the concept of a compliment sandwich before. This idea isn’t new or groundbreaking, but I want to reiterate just how effective it can be in terms of providing constructive criticism that is actually heard by the recipient. For example, if we take my own image above, here’s an example of how to offer the same piece of criticism in several different ways:
Straight Criticism: Your composition sucks. The baby should be either in the center or following the rule of thirds.
Constructive Criticism: The photo would be stronger if you composed it differently. I would have put the baby in the center of the frame so that there was the same amount of greenery on either side.
Compliment Sandwich: The vibrant colors of the flowers are a really unique and fun contrast to the usual neutrals you see in newborn photos, I like it a lot! One thing that could make the image stronger would be to adjust your composition so that the baby is in the center of the frame. Or, you could adjust the other direction so that the baby is more off-center, following the rule of thirds, which would make your composition look more intentional instead of accidental. Overall though, good job on exposure, focus, and coloring!
As you can see, the essential criticism is the same in all three examples. However, when you use a compliment sandwich, that same criticism is framed in a way that serves to build the recipient up which will make it more likely that they are able to hear and internalize your feedback.
Another really good method of offering constructive criticism is to phrase your criticism in a question. For example, you might ask something like, “Why did you choose to apply a matte treatment to this image?” Or, “Why did you decide to focus on the left petal of that flower rather than the center of the flower?”
Framing something that may be a criticism in the form of a question helps to diffuse the psychological impulse that when we receive criticism, we’re being attacked. In addition, it requires the photographer to think about whether the element that you’re asking about was a conscious decision or an accident. This will help determine whether the criticism is coming from a stylistic difference (more on that in a minute!), or whether it was not an intentional decision, and an element that they may not have thought about before.
The novel, “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy received a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2007. It also breaks almost every conventional grammar rule known to man. Does the fact that it doesn’t follow the traditional rules mean that it’s less valuable? Nope. On the other hand, does the fact that it won a Pulitzer mean that it’s going to be everyone’s cup of tea? Again, nope.
Whether you’re talking literature, art, music, or photography, there are lots of different styles or genres that will appeal to different people. The fact that I don’t personally prefer HDR photography doesn’t mean that there’s no value to HDR images.
When giving constructive criticism, it’s important to consider whether or not your criticism is rooted in stylistic differences. For the most part, I’ve found that constructive criticism based primarily on stylistic differences is not a productive use of anyone’s time.
I’m a firm believer that learning how to offer constructive criticism is beneficial to both those giving and receiving the feedback. It forces the giver to think about an image in greater detail, and to really identify things that you like and dislike about an image (and why). When constructive criticism is done well, it allows the recipient the opportunity to hear from others about their photography, affirming the things they do well and identifying areas that may need improvement.
One of the ways that you can make your feedback even more beneficial to the person on the receiving end is to offer advice as to how to either correct or prevent the problem that you’re providing the feedback on, in the future. Whether you’re suggesting a remote shutter release in order to prevent camera shake in astrophotography or cropping an image in post-production to improve composition, giving someone else the tools to better their craft is one of the qualities that separates constructive criticism from quality constructive criticism that is likely to make an impact.
It also makes YOU a better photographer, as it forces you to think in advance about how you’d handle different challenges and circumstances in advance, and create a game plan for how you’d handle them.
If you’re offering someone else constructive criticism, don’t forget that it is really hard to put yourself out there! Be kind, and encourage one another. Make sure that constructive criticism is actually wanted before you offer it. Utilize a compliment sandwich when possible. Frame your criticism in the form of a question, and be aware that some criticisms boil down to stylistic differences. Most importantly, if you want to offer quality constructive criticism, offer a suggestion or solution that will help to correct or prevent the issue you’re seeing.
Then, chime in below–what was the most helpful piece of constructive criticism you’ve ever received? Why was it helpful? What was the least helpful? Why?
The post Dude Be Nice – Mastering the Art of Constructive Criticism by Meredith Clark appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Tunnels have a unique lighting situation – they are dark in the middle, with the light coming from one end.
They can also be a great place to create or take unique photographs. Here is what 18 photographers created with photos of tunnels:
By Tore Bustad
By Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York
By Susanne Nilsson
By _ Liquid
By Indigo Skies Photography
By Rex Boggs
By ??? tocausan
By Matt Niemi
By Andi Campbell-Jones
By Hernán Piñera
By Vincent Lock
By darkday
By darkday
By Vaidotas Mišeikis
By pieter musterd
By Rahigrim Monasterios
By Simon & His Camera
By darkday
The post The Light at the End of the Tunnel – 18 Totally Tubular Images by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Check out: The Light at the End of the Tunnel – 18 Totally Tubular Images.
By Thomas Hawk
If you live in a city there are likely a few options for you to go find some tunnels to photograph.
Always remember – safety first, please! Do not enter a tunnel that has active traffic or trains!
Country dwellers think outside the box. Where can you find a tunnel? Perhaps a drainage pipe for a stream? what about a covered bridge? If you can’t find one can you make your own tunnel?
Time to get creative and share your images of tunnels.
By Claus Tom Christensen
By Caden Crawford
By Jimmy
By followtheseinstructions
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.
You can also share your images on the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.
The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Tunnels by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
Good weather is when photographers like taking photos outdoors. A lot of photographers go to parks to take beautiful shots. But how can they stop taking casual photos and start creating professional portraits? This article gives you a lot of recommendations on how to create art photo portraits. Where to start? Of course, first you should begin planning your photo Continue Reading
The post How To Shoot Professional Portraits appeared first on Photodoto.
If you’ve struggled to resize images to an exact pixel size watch this video tutorial by Phil Steele. He will show you exactly how to crop your images to fit a specific pixel size (like for a Facebook banner, etc.) using one quick step in Photoshop.
Phil also mentioned that it’s a good idea to sharpen your image after cropping. Here is some help on that topic:
If you want more Photoshop tutorials, try these:
Want more from Phil? Check out his Photoshop Basics course here.
The post How to Crop to Exact Pixel Size Using Photoshop – with Phil Steele by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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