September 26, 2008

16

Gavin Seim, Nature, Portrait, PPS Photography Tips, ProPhotoShow, Review, Weddings

Become a Better Photographer in 90 Seconds – 24 One Line Tips

Ghosts of Clepsydra Geyser - f164By Gavin Seim: (updated 09/11): I often hear from photographers asking me to look at their work and tell them how to be better photographers. In ten seconds I can usually tell them how to improve because we often overlook simple things. There’s nearly always something we can improve, no matter how much experience we have.

Most rules are universal to photography of any style or any experience level. Of course these rules are meant to be broken, but general concepts help us stay on track and we should only break rules for good reason. These are some tips I keep in mind with my own work. Hope they give you a few reminders. When your done here some join us in the forums to get some personal feedback. OK let’s roll.

  1. One primary subject. If you have more, you’ll have distraction.
  2. Omit needless objects. Getting them out will clean up your scene.
  3. Slow down. Many images are ruined because of RTC (Rush To Click).
  4. Tonal control is essential. Use the Zone Scale, Burn & Dodge.
  5. If a background detracts from your scene, change or carefully blur it.
  6. See Light. Where’s it coming from, how can you use it.
  7. Learn the rules photography. Then you’ll break them for good reason.
  8. Don’t just center things. Use the rule of thirds & others. They work.
  9. Eyes. Watch close, keep them sharp. They hold emotion.
  10. Use the Magic Hour. Around sunrise/sunset, light happens.
  11. Keep it sharp. Watch your shutter speed & subject movement.
  12. Space is valuable in a frame, keep clutter away with comp & tonal control.
  13. Harsh sun can be bad. Learn to manipulate it and find good light.
  14. Shadows are critical. Without them the light gets ignored.
  15. Great images start in camera. But don’t underestimate careful editing.
  16. Use fresh ideas, but also go for those old reliable images.
  17. If the weather is foul, it doesn’t mean the photos will be.
  18. Lines lead the eye. Pay attention to where they go and intersect.
  19. Change hours. Different times of day will transform a scene.
  20. Think about shadows and dimension. Flat light is usually boring.
  21. Motion Blur can be very powerful, but use it carefully.
  22. Take time to really LOOK at your subject before releasing the shutter.
  23. Study. Photography has 150+ years of history. Go learn about it.
  24. Remember… Slow down, refine, simplify. Analyze your scene.

 

seim-bridge-600x400
This award winning image has a lot going for it. Notice the balanced intersecting lines, bold colors, and simplicity of the scene. It leads the eyes and tells a story.
Focus Blurring was an effective tool here. The light at the ceremony was great but I wanted the focus on the couple. I used a Lensbaby to give me the soft edges and then some work in post production to make the viewers eye go right where I wanted. The blue could have also been done in post, but I enjoy the Lensbaby.
Silver Waves of Grain: Motion blur was used heavily in this 5 min+ exposure. This gave a ghostly feel to the fields and clouds, completely changing the feel of this scene. Then detailed tone work was done to add depth and dimension. You can click the image to read a detailed article on f164.com about how it was made.
Watch the details. Look To the Wind, is one of my early (and more recognized) HDR portraits. The space gives it a bold cinematic feel and the simplicity of the deserted beach adds strength to the scene. Looking back however I could have watched my lines more. The way the horizon cuts at the shoulder is not ideal. It's still a great image, but if I was doing it over I would try being higher with the camera for an even more powerful composition.

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September 24, 2008

3

Gavin Seim, news, photoshop, ProPhotoShow

Adobe CS4 Officially Announced

Today Adobe hosted a live online presentation of the up coming Creative Suite 4. It kinda failed on that side. For me (and others) it was so choppy and slow that it was unwatchable. Still the new features have been announced and though we’re not seeing a exact release date yet you can probably expect it soon.

There’s lots inside, though this update looks mainly evolutionary and not revolutionary. There’s some good videos over on the CS4 learning center that you can check out to get a visual.

A few of the things we’ll see are…

  • Interface update:
  • A new adjustment layers panel:
  • Mask Panel:
  • New 3d features:
  • Updates to Bridge:
  • Focus Blending (from multiple images):
  • And one of my favorites, Content Aware image scaling (this is like the Liquid Resize product we saw talked about last year:

So, what do you think? Super. Blah. Overpriced. Are you gonna get it? What are your favorite new features? Post up those comments folks.

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September 22, 2008

8

Cool Gadgets, Gavin Seim, Review

Lightsphere Review: Cool Gadget Of The Week

Gary Fongs Lighsphere

by Gavin Seim. Updated: For this weeks CPPOTW I want to talk about something really simple and useful. Many of us photographers use hotshoe flashes for light on the go. I use a Canon speedlights myself and though their great flashes, the light is still really harsh. The Lightsphere is quite simply a diffuser for that harsh light. It helps me have control.

It’s made by Gary Fong. I’ve never met him personally, but a lot of you know of him. I’ve tried more than one diffuser, and the Lightsphere (often called a Fong Dong) has worked the best. Many photographer will vouch for this, and I’m no exception. Yes you can tape a Tupperware container to a flash and probably get a similar result, but the Lightsphere is well designed and just works. For me, saving fifty bucks is not worth the headache every time I use my flash.

It’s simple and straight forward. Put it on your flash, and get better light. It’s kinda like a tiny softbox for your flash. The bottom line it that it works good. You can one up for around fifty bucks. I have both the clear and cloud versions myself (either will work fine), as well as most of the handy accessories and top pieces that help me gain further control of my light. I can light pretty big area with just a single on camera flash using this simple tool.

The classic model (pictured) has always worked great for me. There’s a new universal model now that uses a Velcro strap. I have both styles and both work well and are secure. The new version being universal is a tad more clunky, but I find it easier to attach and generally like it better.

The bottom line is that it works well and does what it’s supposed to without hassle. Besides all this it’s looks so weird that it’s become a great conversation starter. You can find it here on Amazon.


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September 17, 2008

16

Canon, Gavin Seim, news, ProPhotoShow

Canon 5D Mark2 is here: Canon bites back (UPDATED)

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It was bound to happen sooner or later, but sooner finally arrived A bit later that some had expected, but it came. The Canon 5D MK II is official, and looking really good. It’s been announced for Nov release. Here’s my favorite highlights.

Update 11/08: The MK II is said to be shipping mid to lat November. The date is not solid as of this update.

  • 21.1-megapixel full frame sensor:
  • DIGIC 4 processor, significantly lower noise, ISO range of 50 to 25,600:
  • 1920 x 1080 HD video capture with mic input:
  • 3.9 frames per second (14 frame Raw burst):
  • 15-point Autofocus:
  • 3.0-inch Clear View LCD:
  • Live View Shooting:
  • Auto Lighting Optimizer (helps even out harsh lighting):
  • 10.0 & 5.2 megapixel sRaw mode:
  • Integrated Cleaning System:
  • Update: IR Wireless Trigger
  • Update: Auto ISO settings
  • Update: Image copyright metadata support

UPDATE2: With MK II Samples

Delivery is scheduled by the end of Nov. Body only price will be around $2700 USD. Kit version with EF 24-105mm f/4L IS  lens will be around $3500 USD

On a personal note I can say that I can’t wait to get this in my hands. Canon took too long to get it here, but from the look of it they’ll be back in the contenders ring with Nikon. Since this is their #2 pro body. I’m curious what the new 1D will bring us. It can’t be far behind, since the specs on this would turn the current 1D into an electronic oldie. There’s a few more views of the new MK2 below. What ya think? Lets get the comments rolling.

Canon 5D MK2 Rear

Canon also announced:

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September 17, 2008

15

Canon, Gavin Seim, lightroom, PPS Photography Tips, ProPhotoShow, Software

Lightroom Brush Presets: How To Install Them

by Gavin Seim: With the introduction of Lightroom2, we got localized corrections with brushes for neat things like exposure, brightness, clarity etc. I made some pre-designed brushes for Burn, Dodge, Skin Soft and the like. Nothing fancy, just simple functional brushes.

– Download Gavin’s FREE LR4 brush presets here –

– Watch an install video in the Elegance Brushes Demo –

  • How to install LR Brushes…
    Adobe has not made a really simple way to import the brushes, but it’s not that hard. Just follow these directions. This is a bit of a workaround. I’ll update it when Adobe makes an easier way. I’m on a Mac, but it will be basically the same for you Win users. Shortcuts are in parenthesis, and remember you can click any image for a big view.

Step 1:
Go to your “Develop”  module (D) and open your presets panel on the left. Right click on one of your develop presets. This will bring up the contextual menu and from there click “Show In Finder” or on a Windows machine it should say something like “Show In My Computer”.

install-lr-brush-presets2.jpg

Alternatively, you can get to the presets storage folder by simply going to Lightroom Preferences (Settings) then to the preset tab. Click the button that says “Show Lightroom Presets Folder” (see image below).

Step 2:
Now you’ve brought up the folder that contains your develop presets. Now that we need to back out of that folder to it’s parent folder. In the parent folder you should find the “Local Adjustment Presets” folder. Simply drag, or paste your brush presets into the “Local Adjustment Presets” folder, then restart Lightroom.

install-lr-brush-presets3.jpg

install-lr-brush-presets4.jpg

Step 3:
When your back in Lightroom you can simply go to the “Develop”  module (D) and select the “Adjustment Brush” (K) Click the the “Effect:” menu/drop-down. You’ll get the brushes drop-down and inside you’ll see a few defaults, as well as the new brushes you just added.

install-lr-brush-presets5.jpg

install-lr-brush-presets6.jpg

It’s that simple, using this method you can download and install brush presets to your hearts content. You can also save your own brush presets from the same menu.

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