In todays video I’m going to show you 3 simple things and explain why you are probably getting them wrong in your photography on a regular basis.
More importantly I’m going to show you how to fix them and change how you shoot daily with a few simple tricks. Let’s get right to this weeks video because you should watch every tip.
In this video you see me using among others, Silver, Filmist, and Natural HDR. Grab the frees sampler pack of each and also check out Signature 4 actions for you Photoshop users.
1. When you stop looking away the magic happens in your lens.
I tip one you can see how powerful the sun is when used in this way. Just being aware of the sun on this level will change how you frame and see your photos.
When you really start to use it it becomes second nature and only you will be the one deciding how to use atmosphere and shadow together with the light.
Each of these photos is different in look and in how it was edited, But each follow tip #1 to make the shot.
A simple Ektar Gen 2 like edit in Filmist and elimination of what photographers keep getting wrong from tip #1Here the edit is more intense on this single RAW file edited with Natural HDR presets. But the result works.It this candid scene, the sim is bright but using tips one and 2 and editing with GoldChrome brings the shot to life.
2. Everyone wants to go light but we’re going darker like movie directors.
What I showed you in tip 2 is gold. It requires that you throw out the biases that many of us learned from digital photography when when you do your photos will improve more every day. \
Yes it’s that important and it’s amazingly something that’s being virtually ignored ion the pho5t industry whish is what separates us shadow hunters from people obeying their cameras. Stop obeying your camera!
This one makes no apologies. It’s a bold Cyrotype of the kind I can only make with Emulsion actions and the darkness is apparent in every pixel.This street photo is one of the favorites in my career. But without tip 2, it honestly gets really boring. BlackRoom actions helped take the conversion and atmosphere to the next level.
People have souls and so should your photo’s.
In tip 3 of the video I think I explained this well. You well me. What I so know is using this level of candidness results in many failed photos and should not replace having the confidence to aim a camera directly.
That said, being skills at this method will give you street photos, wedding and moments that cannot be capture any other way and that’s why every photographer should master this technique.
I hope you gained something from todays 3 tips to improve your photography now and that you’ll leave a comment – Gavin Seim
Notice how the eyes look at me, not at the camera but with no sense of posing. And simple use of Street’ist presets and done.Tip 3 helps me capture culture and freeze time in a way nothing else can. In 50 years these kind of photos will be important,.
Super small flash – We test the Godox LUX SR VS the FlashQ Q20II.
A tiny flash that works is a game changer and I’ll show you why in todays video.
Tech has become so small and in a world of cell phones and ultra compacts we often leave behind big lights and modifiers and umbrellas. Enter a micro-flash. Being portable can lead you to be more creative. But lacking control over light and it’s shadow can lead to boring shots.
So I started searching or tiny but capable micro flashes that actually fit in a pocket. And after a lot of searching I landed on two. The Godox LUX SR vs the FlashQ Q20II. Yes there’s lots of other flashes out there, tilting heads, round or square. So lets get to the video and see how they work.
I wanted truly pocket size flashes that still packed a punch and the list gets a lot shorter when that is the rule. So I bought these two little flashes and started to work and the results they produce are pretty amazing. Small, but potent if you mix them with natural light.
Lux SR. It lights well but since it’s only on camera you get very direct light.FlashQ. This makes getting of camera easy and fun so you can get dimensional light fast.
Off Camera means better control. Pockets also!
In 2023, a flash not having any wireless capability is a but silly and this is where the Godox falls short. Of course they have many other wireless flashes that are good, but not in this form factor and hopefully we will see an improved V2 of this vintage style flash in the future.
Notice how in the test I can such easy dimensional light without much extra work. That makes the FlashQ a little demon for fast creativity. Both these truly fit in your pocket, but the FlashQ does so much more.
The same can be seen below. In this session every shot was with off camera flash mixed with natural light and bouncing of walls to expand the size of the light in relation to the subject rather than focus on the power of the light.
Runners up?
When talking micro size the options get a lot less. Most OEM flashes meant to go with a retro camera will also be more for aesthetic than function. There’s small traditional style tilt flashes like the Godox TT350 that have a lot fo features. But they are still a bit bigger and don’t quite have that micro flash style. But if you want I’ll compare the FlashQ with that also.
Find the flash you will enjoy using and that we will actually bring. That’s the key to all of this. One little flash will transform so many setups if you are ready and enjoy using it.
On both of these I’m bouncing of white walls to make a tiny flash big without bringing any softoxes or modifers.
Don’t overthink flash.
There’s times when I bring out a big AD600 or a 48in softbox and they are amazing. But just as many times I can use a small light and by being aware of the space around me I can use that to create light in a bigger softer way. I rarely point a flash straight at the subject with small flashes and I rarely need more than on or two.
I would not want to ONLY have a small flash being a portrait and fashion photographer. But 80% of the time, I can make a small flash work and keeping on it your bag means you are ready all the time. That’s why a tiny flash is a gam changer.
Gavin Seim
Just a small room fill here to mix with natura window light was all we needed.
I made a comparison of Luminar Neo vs Lightroom vs Capture One with no affiliate links, sponsors or brand bias.
Lightroom and Capture One are the big dogs in 2023. Watch my annual review here. But what about Lightroom vs Luminar Neo, it Capture One vs Luminar Neo? Today we find out!
Luminar gets advertised as the easy editor. But most reviews are affiliate or even sponsored videos. We need smaller devs and competition, so I don’t want to ignore them. Today we’ll compare Lightroom Vs Luminar Neo and even bit of Capture One in a real world test.
Download my Free Luminar Neo preset I made for the video. Also use my Filmist LUTS in Luminar Neo as LUTS work amazing in Neo. Download the Filmist free pack and the very least and give it try.
I admit, comparing Lightroom vs Luminar Neo surprised me!
Both in that Luminar Neo does a lot of things, but also I expected more. I feels like Skylum has been focusing on fun features that advertise, rather than refining the app and making it pro tuned. With things like UNDO not even working as of March 2023 (v1.7) this app is not ready to be a photographers daily driver.
In general Luminar Neo gives a broad suite of editing tools for RAW files. It actually has more tools than Lightroom, even if some are a bit gimmicky, many are quite useful.
Luminar is trying to bridge the gap between photoshop and Lightroom. And to a point, it does that with fun add on’s, AI tools and some basic layer control. But it’s still nothing close when it comes to the layer based editing to Photoshop or even Affinity Photos. This like LR and C1 is is a RAW style editor first.
How well does Luminar Neo vs Lightroom Process your files.
Overall it’s honestly good. Masks are clean, selections are nice if a bit slow. AI seems to work more of less Ai-like.
BUT as I showed in the video and below, Luminar falls apart in more difficult shadow and highlight situations. Instead of giving a smooth roll-off in clipping, it bands. Something Lightroom used to suffer from, but these days is maybe even a bit ahead of Capture One.
Look at the sun. My tough test RAW file shows that Luminar Neo is far behind Lightroom and Capture One is detailed processing. In this case I( used just Shadow and Highlight on the RAW file. Click to open larger view.
Is it worth using Luminar Neo vs Capture One vs Lightroom?
Not exactly. Neo is a powerful tool but it’s just as expensive and Lightroom and Photoshop Combined. So while it might be easier to learn and get started (for sure it’s easier than Photoshop) it’s also far more limited, has lower quality Raw processing and it’s lacking a lot of basic pro grade features.
Skylum is treating Luminar more like a mobile app than a serious pro photography tool. It’s many tools are in disconnect with interface problems, lack on expandability and they try to sell extras and instead of fixing slow or buggy features.
While importing is fast, even basic tools like resetting a photo, cropping and exporting are slow and drag when compared to Lightroom and Capture One in general. But the results of the many tools do work well.
Before and after with the Summer preset I made for Luminar Neo (download fee under the video). It makes more advanced edits like skin smoothing and portrait details a slightly more one stop shop. A little more than Lightroom but still less than Photoshop.
Is Luminar really the easy Photo Editor?
That’s how Luminar Neo vs Lightroom. is promoted. The easy, cheaper one click editor. In a sense it’s easy. The learning curve seems straight forward and it can do some things you would normally need Photoshop for.
On a learning scale of 1-10, I would rate Luminar a 4, Lightroom a 5, Capture one a 6 and Photoshop an 8 in it’s learning curve.
While this won’t replace Lightroom, Capture One, Photoshop or Affinity for pros, you will get a lot of tools and if you’re looking for a new app to play with, Luminar Neo offers a lot in one package but it’s more expensive than both LR and PS, combined!.
That said the problems and inability to do simple things any pro app should do make things not so easy of you operate by those standards. Here’s looking at you UNDO, come on Skylum.
You can do a lot here from replacing skies (do very many of us do that) to great portrait edits. It’s just important to separate marketing from realty and then decide what you like best. Luminar Neo vs Lightroom.
A decent jack of all trades is Luminar Neo vs Lightroom
I hope with feedback like this, Skylum can raise the bar and make Luminar a real contender against Lightroom and Capture One. Because we need contenders.
I’m still rooting for it and will give the Skylum team a chance to listen and take action. I want to be clear in all of this. It’s a good app. But when comparing to top pro apps we can’t pull any punches and we have to compare apples to apples, dollars to dollars.
In the battle Lightroom vs Luminar Neo this year, Lightroom + Photoshop gives you more bang for less buck. But Neo has a lot of potential and I really hope that by 2024 the scales start tipping.
Tell me your thoughts in the comments. Will you use Luminar Neo, or stick with Lightroom / Capture One in 2023 — Gavin Seim
In the Luminar Neo Vs Lightroom battle, you’ll find both to be powerful editors. But don’t expect the same level of RAW quality in tough scenes like this one or the same level of Ui refinement that you’ll find in Lightroom or even Capture One. As Neo grows it has a lot of potencial and it will be exciting to see what they can do if they listen to the pro market.
When you start to use film simulations your edits get better.
It can be difficult to develop your own editing style, but good film simulations help a lot. First you get past this idea that you’re a copycat for using film simulations and realize that film was formulated that way for a reason.
Next your edits become subtle and you start to see more of the potential in your edits instead of using edgy digital looks that go out of style fast. Film looks never go out of style.
I’ll show you how I’m using film presets and why they are not a passing fad but an essential tool for understanding how to edit each photo you take in a balanced way.
Get straight to the video and see how to use film simulations and what makes a good one.
Years ago, when I launched Filmist presets, I made videos about it. But I’ve improved my film pack so much over the years that even the free pack has what others make you pay full price for.
If you have Filmist but are still using an old version of Filmist login and install the latest because all these V1 updates have been free updates and Filmist is easily double what it was when it launched.
Film simulations are not about being cool.
Tools like this are not about getting a copycat look. Film presets least of all. They take something that takes many hours to create and even more to refine and make it simple and usable so that you can have a constantly creative look that learns from photography’s history rather than simply replacing it with something new.
I hope you found this week’s video useful and will go put these film situations to work as presets, Capture One styles, and LUTS on your videos.
Gavin Seim
Ektar 100, rich and deep with subtle redsPortra 160, classic and easy for any setup
It took me years to learn that consistency, style, and editing speed are directly linked. Many new photographers think editing slower means a better edit. In general, the opposite is true!
1. Why Speed_Mods improve your photography style and speed.
I’ve shown you how editing mods create a better editing result and speed in Lightroom and Capture One. Today I will break down how they are made and how to use them better.
Like Speed-Masking in Lightroom, Speed_Mods are included in my preset packs and you can make your own. They let you take any recipe and make it your own but without wasting a second. So, lets not waste any seconds and jump right into todays video.
2. Your style starts with consistency!
I know firsthand that finding a style can take time and that you sometimes can’t seem to decide. Part of the issue is that we have SO MANY EDITING OPTIONS that we lose focus.
It’s not wrong to have various flavors in your photos. But your style can be defined not only by how you shoot, but also by the nuance of your edit. Most overthink this, so they are always searching. But your recipes combined with Speed_Mods will help you stay the course, and your style will shine through every time.
When you create or use presets in Lightroom, the goal is not to create the same photo as everyone else. Just like when you shot Portra 160, it did not mean your photos were meant to look like the rest of the world.
Things like this Xpan 65×24 crop can help you define your style. And film edits and mods do the same.
3. Recipes are like your Film, Mods are like your chemicals.
If you use Filmist and add Porta or Ekrar or Classic Negative, those looks are a base recipe that has been proven to work millions of times.
Buy using a recipe (like choosing a film) you create a aesthetic, but just like in the darkroom we could then shift shadows, tones and details by how we developed, not you can adjust that recipe to your liking.
Of course going straight to granular sliders is fine. But say I apply Silver 5 wet plate look like I did in the video and I want a more HDR feel. I can go and play with sliders of I can simply apply the HDR mod from mod-kit presets. The speed-Mod gives me a refined process based on testing and I am done in a moment.
Professional software is about being able to find your creative edge and your style. Just like for 20 years we’ve used Actions in Photoshop, the RAW editing apps made for pros will always have tools like presets and styles to let us create more and faster.
In the viddeo we see how this photo started as a bit of a dud. But we found the style in it that fit with my theme by having the right mods recipes.
4. Photographers who know their own style!
I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve seen people say. Don’t use presets, don’t buy presets, make your own style. It’s like saying, find a harder way and use that instead. Pros want all the tools at their command.
There’s nothing wrong with making your own presets and styles like I show you in this video how to plan your own Speed_mod presets. Just don’t put up walls to your creality.
I’ve spent hundreds of hours refining packs like Silver, Natural HDR and Filmist. (all of these have free packs) Why? Because once a work is built, it can be used again and again and I don’t have to waste those hours to maintain the creative style I use with those presets and a few mods.
Recipes and mods combined like this will elevate your editing speed and style, and I hope you’ll give it a try and tell me in the comments what you think.
Gavin Seim
Mods like Speed Masks that I use in Elegance 4 let me use advanced tools fast and try them, that means I try more things to get the look I was going for. Speed, recipes and good mods means a more focused edit, not a generic edit.Many mods can work. By finding a recipe I like this bold warm Gold-Chrome look, I can then mod to make the style fit my visualization . Staying consistent and strong in my shadows and presentation.
