I wanted to make this great image of espresso extraction and I wanted it with a single light setup using a light like this. — I used that light to my advantage to get great depth and shadow dimension and in this weeks video we look at how I did it.
This does not just apply to close up objects however. You can use a single light to do amazing things with any subject. I rarely use more than one or two lights, because simplicity gives me flexibility. Enjoy and please subscribe to Photographic School.
A quick PHOTOGRAPHIC School (subscribe on YouTube) for you today. I found myself tinkering with the Lightroom ID plate and hunting for file dimensions, so I made a quick video that covers making and setting up your ID plate from start to finish.
Our camera is just an instrument. It’s what happens in our mind that makes a great photograph. When we understand the tools, we focus on the artistry. Sometimes we fall for the scam that we can just fix it later and so we fail to expose well and never get that truly magical light. Today’s tip takes on a simple truth about exposure in the camera. I call it, Doubles and Halves!
Photographic exposure and simple math are one on the same. Don’t run away, it’s more elegant than it seems. F5.6 to F8 doubles or halves your light. ISO 200 to 400 doubles or halves. So does 1/50th to 1/100th and so on. Ditto for Zones and Exposure Value and Ratios. They are all connected. All tools to manage and understand the Stops (flow) of light. Just doubles and halves.
Understanding these terms helps you nail the light and focus on the vision. This video from the first chapters of my EXposed series explains in simple terms. EXposed also covers deeper aspects, so if you love understanding light, check it out here.
Early this year we released OUR new miniseries, PHOTOGRAPHICS, covering everything from composition, to line, light and history. You can also watch here on YouTube.
There’s a great lack of photographic history out there and knowing where we came from can truly change how we work. Today we’re releasing the entire history segment from PHOTOGRAPHICS for no cost. We hope you’ll check out the entire series, but you certainly don’t want to miss this historical overview of photography. Perhaps someday we’ll be able produce a full history miniseries on the topic.
In the next 20 minutes you’ll get the basics and we encourage you to take it further by joining organizations like the International Photography Hall of Fame and taking deeper studies of painting and history to discover makes our craft so beautiful. You can also check out the full trailer for PHOTOGRAPHICS and get the rest of the 3 hour series here. — Seim
We were making presets here before selling presets was even hip. No one makes them like we do because we don’t just make presets, we’re passionate about quality and that’s why all our effects are GUARANTEED. Knowing Lightroom inside out is a start, but understanding light and photographics is what really makes great tools.
From each of our Pro Collections like Power Workflow 4, we have Light Packs so you can try for yourself. I thought, “With all the free presets we give away, it would be nice to make a one stop list of our light packs”. So here they are. Our most recent preset sampler packs, designed for with LR4 and LR5 and sure to please. This list is not long, but you won’t find any junk here. Every one of these packs is quality from the ground up and will save you time. Please share and enjoy, Gav
PW4 is the most powerful presets you’ll find. It’s our signature set and we’ve made it since Lightroom 1. Every version has been more refined and now it’s so well honed that it just begs to save you time. In this great sampler pack we’ve included great selections from Power Workflow 4 that will get you started. You can also get the complete collection of more than 75 perfectly prepared presets here.
Color Fantasies is a great color study and V2 took it to the next level. In this collection you’ll see powerful color twists you didn’t even know were in there, but we’ve done it with a subtle hand that is about gentle powerful color. Enjoy this sampler pack and check out the Pro Collection for more than 100 of the best color effects on the market.
We’re passionate about Black and White. control at your fingertips. Many think you have to use plugins or black and white tools to convert, but Silver Shadows 2 dispels that myth and puts endlessly variable silver conversion ate your fingertips. Not just the looks that we use either. You can mix, match and tweak to quickly get deeply refined silver conversions. Start with this sampler and then check out the Pro Collection for over 100 conversion tools.
Elegance is a presets collection for takes on the local adjustments like brushes, gradients and radials. Save time by selecting the look your need and applying it locally right from within Lightroom. This sampler pack gives you a selection of starter brushes and you can the loads more in the Pro Pack.
We were making presets here before selling presets was even hip. No one makes them like we do because we don’t just make presets, we’re passionate about quality and that’s why all our effects are 
