Photofocus

Education and inspiration for visual storytellers

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David J. Crewe

Photographer at David J. Crewe Photography
David is an award winning Landscape and Portrait Photographer, Videographer, Writer, and Educator currently based out of Las Vegas, Nevada
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Latest posts by David J. Crewe (see all)

Angler Silverbox 18″ Softbox Review

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The Basics Okay, so awhile back I was asked to test and review the Angler Silverbox 18" Softbox and at first, given I have the Profoto version of this as well as the Beauty Dish, I was wondering just how useful or good this guy could be. Given it was 1/2 the price, (or less), of the Profoto version I was used too, I was pretty sure the quality would be less than great and i'd try it once, and throw into a corner never to be seen again. Well...lets just say I was pleasantly surprised! Check this out; Above is a shot I took using JUST … [Read more...] about Angler Silverbox 18″ Softbox Review

Frequency Separation for the Next Generation

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I know, I know...Frequency Separation is a VERY hot & loaded topic to bring up, and no, you don't _have_ to use it. It's pretty easy to go way too heavy handed with F.S. and end up making your portrait client look like a plastic doll. But when it's used right, it's pretty much going to be your go-to tool for perfecting your clients' images. A lot of professional full-time retouchers, love it or hate it, use Frequency Separation on nearly everything, so let's ignore the arguments about what can go wrong with F.S. and just go into why this … [Read more...] about Frequency Separation for the Next Generation

Should You Update to Adobe Lightroom “Classic”?

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A few weeks ago during Adobe Max 2018 some major updates were announced for the Adobe CC plans. While all of them were pretty exciting and amazing, (in theory), photographers were left pretty confused. The big question most of us had, was "What's up with this CC vs Classic thing for Lightroom?" and the more important one, "Should I upgrade/replace my currently Lightroom with the updated "Classic" and CC versions?" Making Sense of it All Well, to answer the specifics about Lightroom CC and Classic, I'll refer you to a few articles. What's … [Read more...] about Should You Update to Adobe Lightroom “Classic”?

Quick Trick in Adobe Lightroom to help find Sensor “Spots”

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Tell me if this has ever happened to you.  You've been on the road for a while, changing your lenses out over and over, and then came across the most perfect sunset landscape setting ever. So you take the most epic shot of this moment and head home to edit and share! Well, once you get home and load the image up on your computer, you notice it's riddled with spots!!! Well, fear not, that shot may need a lot of work, but the folks at Adobe have provided an awesome tool in Lightroom CC to help you see just how bad your camera needs a … [Read more...] about Quick Trick in Adobe Lightroom to help find Sensor “Spots”

Review: Ruggard Navigator 75 DSLR Shoulder Bag

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What's in a bag? It's possible to say that your bag, (when pertaining to photo and video), can make or break your shoot. Like most photographers and videographers out there, I tend to choose a bag based on the task I have ahead of me, (meaning, I have WAY too many haha). Whenever I need something larger than a messenger bag, most of the time I'm left choosing either a roller case or a backpack. Both of which are great on their own, but getting gear in and out of the bag while "in the heat of a moment" can be a tad cumbersome. This is why … [Read more...] about Review: Ruggard Navigator 75 DSLR Shoulder Bag

Cinetics Lynx Motion Control System Review

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Those who know me, know i've been a Timelapse fanatic since the first time I got to hang out with Michael Shainblum in San Diego about 4 years ago. I've been even more addicted to the gear and gadgets that have come out since then to help artists create visually stunning and dynamic time-lapse films. There are a LOT of options out there from the higher end and expensive motion controllers and rails, to the super low budget and simple egg timer with small camera mounted to the top. So how do you know what's right for you and at what price point? … [Read more...] about Cinetics Lynx Motion Control System Review

Tutorial: Using CFL’s to Keep Cool on your Video Set

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No matter what you're filming, you always need to light your set for your video production. Regardless if it's outdoors in the sun, or indoors in a dark small space...you're going to need some light to fill in your subject matter somehow. One way to do this without overheating your talent or subject matter, is by using a CFL or Continuous Fluorescent Light! Traditionally and historically, we've used Tungsten based Hot lights for production work, but as you might have guessed from their name, they do give off a lot of heat, causing some … [Read more...] about Tutorial: Using CFL’s to Keep Cool on your Video Set

Gear Review: Impact Compact Fluorescent Kit 2

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When it comes to shooting video or still images with constant lights, compact fluorescent lights, (CFLs), give you one of the best lighting options when your project is on a budget! Why Compact Fluorescent Lights? No matter the project, when shooting video, you always have to light your set and usually we use "hot-lights" that have been tungsten based and generate, (as their name suggests), a LOT of heat.  While you can always count on those lights, the problem was how to keep your set cool and your talent from sweating under the glare … [Read more...] about Gear Review: Impact Compact Fluorescent Kit 2

Attending WPPI’s Annual 16×20 Live Print, Album, and Filmmaking Judging Might Be the Best Overall Education You Ever Receive

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WPPI 2017 is literally just around the corner! And with that in mind, the team at over at WPPI has issued another bust of awesome information!  If you're attending be sure to reach out to the Photofocus community and say hello. Maybe we'll see you at the events listed below! Access to Constructive Insight, Critique, and Knowledge from Renowned Judges Offers Unique Learning Opportunity; Represents the True Essence of WPPI and Its Community Amidst the abundance of seminars, workshops, photo walks, and other educational programming at the … [Read more...] about Attending WPPI’s Annual 16×20 Live Print, Album, and Filmmaking Judging Might Be the Best Overall Education You Ever Receive

WPPI 2017 Keynote Speakers Announced!

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Hot off the presses from the fine folks at PDN and Rangefinder, the keynote speakers for this years Wedding and Portrait Photography International Conference in Las Vegas have been released! Check out the official release below for all the juicy details and I hope to see you all there! Renowned Photographers Offer Knowledge and Inspiration During Daily Keynote Presentations at WPPI 2017 Jerry Ghionis, Sue Bryce, and Me Ra Koh Discuss Valuable Career Lessons, Building Confidence as a Photographer, and Realizing Your Dreams New York, NY – … [Read more...] about WPPI 2017 Keynote Speakers Announced!

How Much Speed Does a Photographer Need

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It's the age old question since we've started to shoot digital. How can I make my workflow faster? More efficient? Or more importantly, how can I get more free time and peace of mind? Well, here's where I hopefully can help out a little. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the DROBO 5D with a couple of Seagate 2TB SATA HDD's to do some long term testing for my photo and video production workflow...and the short answer to the question? As much as we can get our hands on! The Nitty Gritty / Tech Details The Drobo 5D is a USB3 and Dual … [Read more...] about How Much Speed Does a Photographer Need

JPEGmini – Secret Weapon of The Photographer on the Move!

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Pretty much everyone reading this is all too familiar with JPEG's and the creation of large, small, printable, social media sized, etc images for clients. If you're like me and tend to shoot a fair number of weddings and events with LARGE, (sometimes obscenely so), catalogs of images, the delivery of these files to your clients can often be an absolute nightmare. Sharing online takes forever to upload and download....sometimes they want them on a Hard Drive or Thumb Drives and you just can't fit everything. Compile that with YOUR personal … [Read more...] about JPEGmini – Secret Weapon of The Photographer on the Move!

Transcend’s New Ultra High Speed SD Cards

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As a kid, I remember my parents asking me to pick up some RAM for our business while I was on a family vacation...I don't remember how much it cost...but I do remember that the 16k of ram that I had picked up was on two boards about the size of a Wacom Small Tablet each!  So when I stop to think about where we've come from and where we're going with the amount of memory we're able to compact in these Hard Drives and Memory Cards now just blows me away. Looking back at some old articles about the first computers, it's pretty clear to see how … [Read more...] about Transcend’s New Ultra High Speed SD Cards

Photography Projects – Expectation vs Reality

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As anyone who's been to WPPI can tell you, it's pretty insane. Between the Classes, Expo Booths, Parties, Socials, After Parties, Dinners, and well...everything else that Las Vegas can throw at you, seeing everyone / everything you want too is next to impossible, let alone keeping your professional schedule in check! 2016 was no different, however this time, I was on a mission. I decided to start a new photo project digging back into an old one for inspiration...one of my favorites of all time, Film Noir. As I began casting for this project, a … [Read more...] about Photography Projects – Expectation vs Reality

PRVKE Bag by WANDRD – A Stylish and Functional Adventurer Bag!

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Back in October during PhotoPlus Expo I had the pleasure of meeting the founders of a new Bag Company that had just been funded on Kickstarter, WANDRD. The two adventurous brothers were displaying a prototype bag called the PRVKE (Provoke), and it caught my interest pretty freaking quick. At the time I had been coming from several months on the road traveling and shooting, and getting pretty frustrated with my bag selection. Albeit huge, I was still lacking in that perfect travel kit bag that fit all my gear, felt comfortable, and looked better … [Read more...] about PRVKE Bag by WANDRD – A Stylish and Functional Adventurer Bag!

Think Tank Has Released The Largest Rolling Photography Case Ever!

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Think Tank Photo has just announced the release of their latest product, the Production Manager 50, a gigantic roller case designed to hold an immense amount of gear, including lighting equipment and large light modifiers. This case will allow a single photographer to transport what it used to take up to two assistants to move! Its size, in case you were wondering, is impressive; Exterior Dimensions: 17.3” W x 53.1” H x 12.6” D (44 x 135 x 32 cm), Interior Dimensions: 15.6” W x 49.2” H x 10” D (39.5 x 125 x 25 cm), and its Weight:  20.7 – 29.8 … [Read more...] about Think Tank Has Released The Largest Rolling Photography Case Ever!

How To Optimize Your Facebook News Feed

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Facebook, despite all its ups and downs, has become a part of our lives. It's become a source of education, advertising, entertainment, and social/family connection!  So with that in mind, I thought it'd be great to share with you a way to help make your Facebook experience a little more manageable! The problem i'm sure we've all encountered, is the sheer volume of spammy, offensive, and incredibly bad fake-fact content posts that plague our news feed. That along with with the pay-to-see business model that Facebook uses to make actual … [Read more...] about How To Optimize Your Facebook News Feed

Macphun’s Aurora HDR Pro Update Has Me Impressed!

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By now most of you have heard of Aurora HDR from Trey Ratcliff and the team at Macphun, and if you haven't, well it's a joint project by Trey and Macphun to create an application tailored to exactly what the most prolific HDR photographer in the world would want out of software. Over the course of an entire year they worked together to create an app for photographers of all skill levels that would produce incredible images. You can run it as a plug-in for Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, and Photoshop Elements, OR you can run it as a complete … [Read more...] about Macphun’s Aurora HDR Pro Update Has Me Impressed!

Time Lapse Photography Just Got A Powerful Update

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If you're a Time Lapse fan like myself than this is an exciting weekend. Gunther Wegner, creator of LRTimelapse, (arguably the best plugin/tool for your time lapse arsenal on the market), just sent out the press release detailing the specifics of the latest update to LRTimelapse 4.5 including use of some of the awesome newest features in Lightroom CC. New Features in LRTimelapse 4.5 Added Support for the new Local Dehaze in Lightroom 6.2 / CC.2 on Linear, Circular Gradients and the Paintbrush. The number of threads used to generate the visual … [Read more...] about Time Lapse Photography Just Got A Powerful Update

The Three C’s of File Management – Copy, Clone, and Cloud!

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As a professional photographer in the digital age, protecting your data is one of the most important things you can do for your business (or hobby). Having come from a very heavy Computer and programming background, when I started shooting professionally, my backup routine was top priority! The first thing we'll cover is how to store and organize your files which covers the first of the Three C's. Copy First and foremost you have to copy your files from your camera to your computer. There are dozens of ways to do this i'm sure you're all … [Read more...] about The Three C’s of File Management – Copy, Clone, and Cloud!

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