We think Perfectly Clear Complete's latest version 3 is pretty terrific software. It helps you make your pictures look their best faster and with greater finesse than other tools, and it integrates seamlessly with your workflow. It's a powerful tool for colors and tone, and it does wonders on nature and people pictures alike. In this webinar, Levi Sim and Robert Vanelli will be demonstrating and answering all your questions. Levi and Vanelli use Perfectly Clear Complete daily in their portrait and nature work. They'll show you how to finesse … [Read more...] about Live Q&A: Perfectly Clear Complete Version 3
Levi Sim
Levi Sim is passionate about making photographs and helping others make their pictures better, too. Join him on Twitter and Instagram (@PhotoLevi), read more of his articles here, and join him at Out of Chicago.
Latest posts by Levi Sim (see all)
- Mirrorless Camera Maniac: Does Form Follow Function? - June 22, 2017
- Portrait Tips: Muscle Memory - June 21, 2017
- Live Webinar: Mastering Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk - June 18, 2017
Portrait Tip: Your Second Most Important Body Part
Obviously, a photographer's most important body part is her eye, right? How else will she compose impactful pictures? I want to show you two ways to free your second most important skeletal structure so you can make better portraits. Free Your Hands Your hands are essential in your portrait work. They convey trust and make people welcome and you can use them to place keys on your head to great effect. When you meet a subject, you should shake their hand. When you make a good picture together, you should give them a high five. When they … [Read more...] about Portrait Tip: Your Second Most Important Body Part
Gear Review: Udee Backpack–Surprisingly Good
This bag is simply called Udee, and the simplicity carries through the entire design and delivers a fine bag that will be very good for many photographers. It Looks Good The outer appearance of the Udee is pretty good. It's minimal and the fabric is very nice. Everyone who sees it asks me if it's a Peak Design bag: it has a similar kind of fabric and the slim design is reminiscent. The bottom of the bag is a little blunt, but overall it's a good looking bag. The gray fabric is highlighted with the orange grab handle and one orange … [Read more...] about Gear Review: Udee Backpack–Surprisingly Good
Lightroom Live: Adobe Spark with Julieanne Kost
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, April 10th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: Adobe Spark with Julieanne Kost
Mirrorless Camera Maniac: The #1 Problem With Mirrorless
I'm an evangelist for mirrorless. The mirrorless cameras are driving innovation and bringing the best changes to the way we make photographs. I tell everyone I meet that they should consider a mirrorless camera, and while they are amazed by the features and intrigued by the possibilities, they all say the same thing: "But I have all these lenses for my current camera--I'm too invested to change!" I understand that feeling, but I've had a different experience. Did you know that I've owned 27 Interchangeable Lens Cameras (ILC's) in the last 7 … [Read more...] about Mirrorless Camera Maniac: The #1 Problem With Mirrorless
Portrait Tip: Eliciting Great Expressions With Kids (And Dads)
There's nothing sillier than expecting people to give you a great expression because you say, "Smile!" Especially children. If you want people to smile in your photograph then you need to do something worth smiling about. Here's a technique I learned from Drake Busath and refined to fit my own style. You can use this verbatim and adapt it to fit your personality, too. Discipline An Object Kids also get a thrill from seeing something ridiculous get into trouble. This one is also gold for getting dads and moms to smile. Parents are usually … [Read more...] about Portrait Tip: Eliciting Great Expressions With Kids (And Dads)
Stories From The Set: Saving Face Saves The Day
Shortly after the nuclear disaster in Japan, Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda of the Toyota Motor company came to the United States to raise money for the victims. As it happens, Vanelli was hired to photograph a meeting between Toyoda and a prominent local dealership. However, in order to maintain privacy and security, Vanelli was not told who he would be photographing. Can you imagine preparing to go photograph someone you know is a V.I.P., but having no idea who it is so you can prepare by researching and checking out their work? You'll see that … [Read more...] about Stories From The Set: Saving Face Saves The Day
Perfectly Clear’s New Preset Area Rocks
Perfectly Clear Complete Version 3 was just released and has some terrific new and refined tools for finishing your pictures. However, version 2 was also awesome, and I assumed any image editing tools would also be great, and they are. The surprising thing in version 3 is the way they've refined preset management. The new settings and organization make it easier to make and share presets, and it makes my workflow just a little bit faster, which makes me a whole lot happier. Built-In Presets Presets simply move sliders to a starting … [Read more...] about Perfectly Clear’s New Preset Area Rocks
Lightroom Live: Adobe Spark with Julieanne Kost
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, April 10th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: Adobe Spark with Julieanne Kost
Portrait Tip: Provide A Road Map
Have you ever gone on a little road trip or a hike with a friend and they didn't tell you where you were going or how long it would take to get there? Not knowing these kinds of details makes it difficult to know what to pack or how to schedule your day and it would probably make you a little frustrated. Similarly, most folks don't know how a photo shoot is supposed to go, and maybe the last shoot they were in was done differently than the way you do things. If you provide a road map for the shoot, your clients will be more comfortable and … [Read more...] about Portrait Tip: Provide A Road Map
Live Webinar: Lumix GH5 Launch Event
Lumix's new flagship camera is the Panasonic Lumix GH5, and it begins shipping to customers this Wednesday, March 29th. The waiting list began earlier this year, and photographers and cinematographers alike are anxiously waiting. Don't Miss this Free Webinar B&H Photo is celebrating the shipping launch with this live webinar featuring pros like Jacki Huntington, Griffin Hammond, David Flores, Lok Cheung, and Lumix's own Sean Robinson who will be demonstrating features and showing off the new tools. Here's a link to all the details of the … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Lumix GH5 Launch Event
Save Your Images for the Web from Lightroom
The only reason to use any kind of photo editing software is to help you share pictures. Whether you are printing pictures or sharing digitally, you've got plenty of people who want to see your pictures and that's why Lightroom's Export Dialogue is the one tool you'll use the most frequently. This tutorial will show you how to save pictures for sharing online, printing, and syncing with your Creative Cloud. Don't read this article. Skim it. Use it like an encyclopedia. Go to the section you have questions about and read that. (Hint: File … [Read more...] about Save Your Images for the Web from Lightroom
Portrait Tips: Great Eyes Start At The Toes
The eyes are the most important part of a portrait, and the expression in the eyes makes the difference between a well-lit picture and a stunning portrait. You'll notice that when people look into the camera you have about .026 seconds before the eyes start to glaze over. The eyes quickly look disengaged and even frightened. The majority of pictures posted on the internet have dull, uninterested eyes. But there's a simple way to help you get fresh eyes in every picture. "Look down at my toes, please." Whether I'm photographing old friends, … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Great Eyes Start At The Toes
First Impressions and Hands-On with Lumix GH5
Lumix's new GH5 is the most talked-about new camera this season, and for good reason. It's a complete redesign of the popular GH4 and it offers loads of new features. Since I'm an ambassador for Lumix, I've had some time with a pre-production unit and I'd like to share with you some first impressions. Now, I'm an ambassador but not an employee of Lumix. They are not paying for this article, and I am not representing their views in any way. I'll tell you my honest impressions. (Spoilers: it's awesome). Excellent for Photographers and … [Read more...] about First Impressions and Hands-On with Lumix GH5
Lightroom Live: Photoshop for Lightroom Users with Dave Cross
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, March 13th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: Photoshop for Lightroom Users with Dave Cross
Everything You Need To Know About Micro 4/3 Lenses
Mirrorless cameras are wonderful tools, and I'm going to be writing regularly about their attributes. Quick intro to Micro Four Thirds, a.k.a. MFT, M43, Micro 4/3. The key characteristics are that they have interchangeable lenses, they are almost always smaller than DSLR's, they generally cost less than DSLR's for similar features, and they have a sensor that is smaller than DSLR's. The sensor is shaped in a 4x3 ratio, not a 2x3 ratio like DSLR's, which makes a picture that is less wide. One thing that makes Micro 4/3 cameras significantly … [Read more...] about Everything You Need To Know About Micro 4/3 Lenses
Portrait Tip: Double Check, Let Her Rip
You know how it is: you've got a great looking subject in front of you and you're nervous to miss a shot so you start shooting and shooting and clicking and clicking and you capture the great expressions. But, when you review your images, you realize that you didn't capture the great exposure. Don't Catch the Expression and Miss the Picture This is especially common when photographers are new at working with flash or speedlights. You've got to slow down a second and verify that you've got the right exposure and depth of field, etc., then you … [Read more...] about Portrait Tip: Double Check, Let Her Rip
Lightroom Mobile Update: RAW HDR’s for iPhone and Android
Lightroom Mobile is far and away my most used app on my phone and iPad, and Adobe have just suped it up even more. The latest version of the app adds power to the integrated camera by unlocking the ability to shoot RAW HDR from within the app. That means you'll have greater control over the colors and tones of the pictures captured on your mobile device. And yes, this is for both iOS on Apple phones and for Android (affected models are listed below). The thing that blows my mind is that this app continues to be included with your Creative … [Read more...] about Lightroom Mobile Update: RAW HDR’s for iPhone and Android
Lightroom Live: Photoshop for Lightroom Users with Dave Cross
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, March 13th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: Photoshop for Lightroom Users with Dave Cross
Book Review: The Moment It Clicks, by Joe McNally (Must Read)
The Moment It Clicks is not a new book, but I just read it again for the third time and realized that some of you may not have read it yet. And we need to fix that. This book is ideal for photographers of all skill levels. It teaches the beginner, inspires the amateur and reminisces with the seasoned pro. Every turn of the page is filled with a large photograph from McNally's career and is accompanied by a story and tips for making that kind of picture happen. You won't find too many camera settings, but you will find principles that will … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Moment It Clicks, by Joe McNally (Must Read)
Do’s and Don’ts to Build a Great Portfolio
For photographers, a great portfolio shows your work at its best. If you're a professional, it'll get you hired, and if you're a hobbyist, it'll let you share with more people. Either way, you need to know a few things about creating a portfolio people will enjoy viewing and a few things that will keep people from advancing to the next picture. A Few Don'ts Let's start with a few things that you should avoid doing. 1. Don't Show Others' Work I thought this goes without saying, but again and again I have friends who's work has been stolen … [Read more...] about Do’s and Don’ts to Build a Great Portfolio
Photographer Featured On New USPS Stamp
Each year the United States Postal Service receives tens of thousands of images to be considered as artwork for new stamps; last year they received more than 40,000 entries, but they chose fewer than 25 to publish. One of this year's new stamps, the Nebraska Sesquicentennial stamp, is a photograph made by Michael Forsberg. It's a stunning picture of sandhill cranes in flight (at the top of this post), and it's clear that Forsberg is a master of his craft. There're two things I'd like to point out about his success in being published in such a … [Read more...] about Photographer Featured On New USPS Stamp
Minimal Lighting for Funeral Portraits
Funerals are a good time to make family pictures because people who haven't seen one another in decades are together. You should take advantage of the opportunity. I attended a funeral yesterday, and amidst the memory sharing I took a few minutes to make portraits. Let me show you how I made the most of a difficult situation with minimal gear. This setup will work well in many event situations. The Backdrop: Put It Farther Back There was a luncheon for the family held in the multipurpose room of a church, which happens to be … [Read more...] about Minimal Lighting for Funeral Portraits
HDR 101: Shooting Brackets
Human eyes are incredible for viewing the world and seeing into shadows and highlights all at the same time. The basis of HDR photography is making several exposures at varying brightnesses and combining them in a powerful software app like Photomatix so we can view a photograph the same way we view the real world--into the shadows and highlights at the same time. We call it “bracketing” or “shooting for HDR” or “shooting brackets.” Every interchangeable-lens camera I’ve seen for sale in the last seven years offers automatic bracketing, but … [Read more...] about HDR 101: Shooting Brackets
Lightroom Live: Perfecting Your Portfolio with Al Rossin
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, February 13th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: Perfecting Your Portfolio with Al Rossin
Photowalk Las Vegas: 6:00pm Wednesday, Feb. 8th
Many of our Photofocus team will be in Las Vegas for the WPPI photography conference, and we'd love to get together and make pictures with you. Photowalks like this are a great time to put into practice various techniques that you don't otherwise get time to use. We won't be walking very far on this walk, but we will be shooting a lot. We're in Las Vegas, so let's practice making pictures that show off the light and excitement of the strip. We'll do long exposures and motion and see some of the iconic spots. We'll meet at the gazebo outside … [Read more...] about Photowalk Las Vegas: 6:00pm Wednesday, Feb. 8th
Lightroom Live: Perfecting Your Portfolio with Al Rossin
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, February 13th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: Perfecting Your Portfolio with Al Rossin
Selective Sharpening in Lightroom
Sharpening helps your picture have a little more punch and can allow details to pop and draw attention. If you sharpen the entire image, however, you'll end up with visible details, called artifacts, in places where there aren't details, like a blue sky. To avoid creating these artifacts, you can sharpen only those areas that have interesting detail and those to which you want to draw attention. Let me show you how to selectively sharpen using Lightroom's Adjustment Brush on this photograph I made in San Antonio on a photowalk (we've got … [Read more...] about Selective Sharpening in Lightroom
Adobe Launches New Creative Apps for ChromeBooks
Education is changing in big ways with new technology, and Google's Chromebooks have been helping it along. Many schools across the world are using Chromebooks--computers that run Google's Android operating system--which allow students to learn with an immediacy and intimacy I could only dream of as a kid. Oh, and there are computers available to purchase for less than most of us pay for our cell phones each month. Well, now Adobe has stepped up and adapted some of their most powerful mobile apps so they now function on Chromebook. Here are … [Read more...] about Adobe Launches New Creative Apps for ChromeBooks
Live Webinar: The Business of Wedding Photography with Lisa Robinson
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday, January 30th at 12 pm Eastern, 11 am Central, 10 am Mountain and 9 am Pacific. 1 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check here and it'll show your local time. This Month: The Business of … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: The Business of Wedding Photography with Lisa Robinson
