Photofocus

Education and inspiration for visual storytellers

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Levi Sim

Levi Sim is passionate about making photographs and helping others make their pictures better, too. He's a full-time photographer making business portraits and marketing and branding pictures for a living. He spends the rest of his time practicing all other kinds of photography and studying to be a better hunter. Read more of his articles here. And you can see more of Levi's portfolio here.

Levi is honored to be an ambassador for Vanguard tripods and bags and Spider Holster carry systems.
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Latest posts by Levi Sim (see all)

Gear Review: Cordskinz solves earbud tangle woes

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You probably use headphones often--if nothing else, you use them to listen to the Photofocus podcast when you're on the go, right? I use mine for monitoring sound while shooting videos on my camera, while working on photos on my laptop in cafés, and for talking on the phone hands-free. If you're like me, then your headphones probably get tangled everytime you put them into your pocket. No matter how carefully you coil them, they always end up tangled, and it's a little frustrating to get them sorted out. This is the problem Cordskinz solves and … [Read more...] about Gear Review: Cordskinz solves earbud tangle woes

Live webinar on the hour: Perfecting portraits & travel photos

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Welcome to the webinar. We'll be learning how to perfect your portraits and travel images using Perfectly Clear, and we've got some door prizes to share as well. If you'd like to comment, ask questions, and be eligible for prizes, please click here to join us live on YouTube. This webinar is recorded so you can tune in later. We'll be live Monday, December 17 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern, 11:00 a.m. Central, 10:00 a.m. Mountain, 9:00 a.m. Pacific, 12:30 p.m. in Newfoundland and 1:00 p.m. in the V.I. Thanks to Athentech, makers of the marvelous … [Read more...] about Live webinar on the hour: Perfecting portraits & travel photos

Webinar tomorrow, 12/17: Perfecting portraits & travel photos with Erin Holmstead & Mike Hagen

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This episode has something for everyone. Levi Sim will be joined by two of our other authors, Erin Holmstead and Mike Hagen to help you learn how to make the most of your portraits and your travel photography. They'll teach techniques to make the most of your time shooting and then they'll demonstrate Perfectly Clear Complete to help make the most of your time finishing your photographs, too. There's something for everyone, so be sure to join us right here. We'll have some giveaways for live viewers, so be sure to join us live on … [Read more...] about Webinar tomorrow, 12/17: Perfecting portraits & travel photos with Erin Holmstead & Mike Hagen

Webinar on Monday, 12/17: Perfecting portraits & travel photos with Erin Holmstead & Mike Hagen

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That's right, portraits and travel all in one episode. Levi Sim will be joined by two of our other authors, Erin Holmstead, and Mike Hagen to help you learn how to make the most of your portraits and your travel photography. They'll teach techniques to make the most of your time shooting and then they'll demonstrate Perfectly Clear Complete to help make the most of your time finishing your photographs, too. There's something for everyone, so be sure to join us Monday. We'll have some giveaways for live viewers, so be sure to join us live on … [Read more...] about Webinar on Monday, 12/17: Perfecting portraits & travel photos with Erin Holmstead & Mike Hagen

How to NOT ruin real estate HDR’s

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I recently bought a house, so I was looking at loads of real estate pictures. Most are simply informative pictures, and most are made with a smartphone. Real estate pictures can be fun to make, however, and when done well they can help sell a house more quickly. HDR is a great tool to make good real estate photos, but if you let your imagination run away you can end up with a picture that belongs more on a movie poster than the MLS. Let me share a few ideas to help you make the most of your HDR's for real estate. Time of day As with all … [Read more...] about How to NOT ruin real estate HDR’s

Portrait Tips: Does your picture have the sweetness?

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“Unless some sweetness at the bottom lie, Who cares for all the crinkling of the pie?” This line is from William King's Poem, "The Art of Cookery," and it applies perfectly to portraiture. Today's tip is quick, and it includes the challenge that you should memorize this line of poetry — it'll broaden your horizons ;) Does your portrait emote? I take this line to mean that no matter how good a pie looks if it doesn't taste good then it's a failure. For you and me, that means that no matter how much hairspray you've used, no matter how … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Does your picture have the sweetness?

Webinar: Perfecting portraits & travel photos with Erin Holmstead & Mike Hagen, December 17

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Yup, this webinar is a doubleheader. Levi Sim will be joined by two of our other authors, Erin Holmstead and Mike Hagen to help you learn how to make the most of your portraits and your travel photography. They'll teach techniques to make the most of your time shooting and then they'll demonstrate Perfectly Clear Complete to help make the most of your time finishing your photographs, too. There's something for everyone, so be sure to join us right here. We'll have some giveaways for live viewers, so be sure to join us live on … [Read more...] about Webinar: Perfecting portraits & travel photos with Erin Holmstead & Mike Hagen, December 17

Gear Review: NstaJam Bluetooth speaker

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I'm always jealous of those photographers who are also musicians — and there are many of them. Me, I can't carry a tune in a camera bag and I'm practically tone deaf. But the power of music is undeniable and it's a wonderful tool for sculpting the mood while making pictures. Most studios have music going all the time, and people like Matthew Jordan Smith testify that music is an essential part of a great shoot. But what about when you're not in the studio? I've seen people using smartphones with the volume turned all the way up in order to … [Read more...] about Gear Review: NstaJam Bluetooth speaker

Portrait Tips: Have a conversation with your camera in hand

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Having a conversation with your camera in hand doesn't mean you should talk to your camera — that's fine to do in private settings, but not recommended in public. I mean that you should have a conversation with your subject while your camera is doing the work. As you converse with your subject you'll discover subjects that bring their eyes to life and positions for their bodies that work best in the light. Here are a few ideas to help you camera-guided discussions. Don't look at the camera When folks are looking at your camera, there's very … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Have a conversation with your camera in hand

Book Review: “Steve McCurry: A Life In Pictures,” by Bonnie McCurry

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Normally, I'd read the entire book before writing a review, but this can't wait. I've skipped around and read several sections and the writing is good and engaging — almost as engaging as the photographs. This is a book you should buy for every photographer you know and probably everyone else, too. But you should have it dropped shipped to the recipient because if you get your hands on it, you won't be able to put it down. An actually famous photographer There are almost no famous photographers, especially this century when photographs come … [Read more...] about Book Review: “Steve McCurry: A Life In Pictures,” by Bonnie McCurry

Finishing color photos for perfect tones in black and white

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Like many of you, I started photography learning to shoot and process black and white in high school. It was amazing to see a photograph materialize in the chemicals, and it was incredible how much detail I could see in the scenes. Back then I only shot 35mm Tri-X film, but the tones and contrasts were captivating. Now, using tone mapping on a single image I can get similar tones. The details Aurora HDR 2019 can reveal are incredible. I'll use this panorama from Montana to show demonstrate. I shot it with a 200mm lens on my Lumix … [Read more...] about Finishing color photos for perfect tones in black and white

Portrait Tips: How close should the light be to your subject?

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This is a great question, but when you're getting going making portraits (and especially when you're buying gear) it often gets overlooked. How close should your light be to your subject? Furthermore, what effect does a different distance have on the photo? Let's start with the impact the distance makes. Feel free to skip to the last section for the quick answer. Closer is softer but more contrasty When you bring a light closer to your subject, you make it bigger in relation to your subject, and a bigger light is softer. For instance, the … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: How close should the light be to your subject?

Gear Review: Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack

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Peak Design has done it again: The company has broken Kickstarter with its new product. I think these people get together and say, "What can we make that will cause people to lose their minds and buy it with wild abandon?" The company makes quality stuff and designs it very well. The latest offering is the Travel Line, and it I think it'll meet the expectations of all the people who funded the Kickstarter with $5,206,611. Yeah, five-point-two million dollars. The Travel Backpack There's no doubt that this is a well-made backpack. It's got … [Read more...] about Gear Review: Peak Design 45L Travel Backpack

Portrait Tips: Holiday portraits

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Holy cow, it's the holidays. Yeah, crept right up on me. With family and friends getting together, you could have a golden opportunity to make terrific portraits. If you don't blow it. Another picture...? The problem is that these people know you are crazy about making portraits and they've suffered you for years — or maybe only this year if you're new to this marvelous game. They may be a little tired of feeling compelled to participate in your hobby (no matter how much your peers realize it's a passion, it'll always be a hobby to family. … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Holiday portraits

First Look: Lume Cube AIR

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The new Lume Cube AIR is even more compact than the original and with a longer battery life. It has a powerful magnet on the back for mounting to any ferrous surface and it includes two diffusions domes (one white and one for tungsten lights (CTO)). You can control all its features from the LumeX app, which is a free download from your mobile device's app store. The video below expounds on how to get started using it. We'll have more reviews and use cases coming soon, but for now, go pick up the new Lume Cube AIR and start creating. It's … [Read more...] about First Look: Lume Cube AIR

Gear Review: Eyeforcer Glasses

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I was surprised when I was approached about reviewing this product, but the more I use it, the more I like it. Eyeforcer is a pair of glasses that sense when your head is tilting and activate a light to remind you to lift your head back up. In fact, if you ignore the blinking light by your eye for too long, it'll send you a text message. Is it necessary? I've heard on the news several times over the last few years that people are having neck and back troubles from using their phones and tablets. The problem comes from tilting your head too … [Read more...] about Gear Review: Eyeforcer Glasses

Portrait Tips: Street Portraits

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The other day I was in New York City for PhotoPlus Expo and Photofocus hosted its annual photowalk. It's a highlight of my photography year and I hope you can join me next time, or at the next conference (like WPPI). I had the pleasure of making several portraits during our walk, and you might benefit from simple principles for making street portraits while photowalking. 1. It's just a portrait First of all, there's nothing different about street portraits. It's still a picture of a person, and you should do your best to make it a good one. … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Street Portraits

How could I forget the first rule of making a time-lapse?

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Making time-lapse videos is fun. They exaggerate the passing of time and reveal a whole different view of the world. I carry my Platypod Ultra everywhere so I'm always ready to set my camera to time-lapse mode and record traffic or clouds or airport work or a wildfire. I was making one the other day while awaiting my flight home from PhotoPlus Expo. And making them is simple, too. Many cameras — and even smartphones — have settings for creating a time-lapse. Look for it under interval shooting in your camera's menu. Then set the exposure … [Read more...] about How could I forget the first rule of making a time-lapse?

How to use Luminar’s looks to be creative differently

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If you subscribe to the Photofocus newsletter, then you just got an announcement about a huge pack of looks for Luminar that add all the looks from Skylum's wonderful Tonality plugin to Luminar. Tonality is a tool made especially for black and white finishing and it used to be my favorite black and white tool — now I use it in Luminar. This pack of looks gives you a whole bunch of options to instantly create various looks in your black and white photos. But why should you use looks? My question is, why would you want to use a look that makes … [Read more...] about How to use Luminar’s looks to be creative differently

Portrait Tips: Have fun with Halloween

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Happy Halloween! In the U.S., Halloween is one of the most fun holidays. Kids dress up in crazy costumes and consume more sugar than is good for them, and people all over decorate their houses to welcome the madness of trick-or-treating. And you should be ready to make portraits. Bring the good camera When you look back at pictures of Halloween, you're in for a treat — unless you got tricked in bringing only your smartphone along to make pictures. I know your camera is much bigger and heavier than your phone, but it can really perform much … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Have fun with Halloween

How to post to Instagram from your computer — Easy as A, B, C

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I hope this technique is as helpful for you as it has been for me. It's well known that you can only post to Instagram from your phone app. Which means you've probably done all kinds of digital gymnastics in order to get your best photos onto your phone to share. Many people upload them to Dropbox or another file-sharing site, then download to their phones. I thought I had a good system, which was to use Lightroom mobile to sync photos between my desktop and phone. But this is better. Soooooo much better. The Lr Mobile and Dropbox … [Read more...] about How to post to Instagram from your computer — Easy as A, B, C

Webinar Replay: Perfecting Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk

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Editor's Note: Perfectly Clear is offering Photofocus readers a special $99 bundle, including Perfectly Clear Complete and SharkPixel presets. A $163 value! In this episode, Kristina Sherk teaches some of the principles of retouching and how to use Lightroom and Perfectly Clear Complete to make your photos look their best. Not only do her techniques make individual photos look great, but she shows how to automate your retouching to save you hours on every shoot. https://youtu.be/NEK3tXs2btw?rel=0 For a limited time, there's a special … [Read more...] about Webinar Replay: Perfecting Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk

How to make real estate interiors with HDR in 9 steps

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Making real estate pictures can be a lot of fun and even profitable. The thing is, you can easily spend way too much shooting and finishing them to make it worth your time or worth the realtor's time to hire you. Or maybe you're a realtor and you need to make these kinds of pictures for your client. Either way, using HDR is the fastest way to get great looking real estate photos. Here are ten tips to shoot them fast and finish them fast so you don't turn real estate photography into a money pit. 1. Shoot on a tripod You need to use a tripod … [Read more...] about How to make real estate interiors with HDR in 9 steps

October 26: Join Photofocus and Lume Cube for a New York City photowalk

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We're photowalking in New York City! Come join us for this FREE event, as we help one another make great pictures and have a fun time. We'll start in Times Square and see some of the iconic places within walking distance. Plus, we'll have trial units from Lume Cube along to help us make pictures like never before. Their lights are compact in size but huge in illumination. We'll photograph buildings and people and cops and all kinds of city stuff. Several of our Photofocus authors and publisher, Richard Harrington, will be there. It's going … [Read more...] about October 26: Join Photofocus and Lume Cube for a New York City photowalk

Portrait Tips: Retouching must be invisible

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Retouching portraits. This is an important subject and I'll tackle it with you in pieces. You've had a good session with your subject and now you can utilize your computer to finish off their pictures so they can present them to the world. When you show them their pictures, they should feel great about the way it looks. Their best friend should say, "Wow! That's a great shot of you." Their best friend should not say, "Wow! They did a great job retouching." As retoucher and photographer Kristina Sherk says, "The sign of a good retoucher is … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Retouching must be invisible

Live Webinar: Perfecting Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk, Friday, October 19, 2018

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We're excited to have world-class photographer and retoucher Kristina Sherk in this webinar to help you step up your retouching. She'll help us understand the principles behind great retouching, tips for shooting to make retouching easier, and how she retouches using Perfectly Clear Complete. Check out Kristina's photography and her retouching portfolio. This webinar is free, so register now and invite your friends. Editor's Note: Perfectly Clear is offering Photofocus readers a special $99 bundle, including Perfectly Clear Complete … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Perfecting Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk, Friday, October 19, 2018

Portrait Tips: Avoid creepy eyes

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Anytime your subject is not facing directly into the camera you need to pay attention to where their eyes are looking and how they are framed in the eye sockets. Face over there, eyes over here Photographing a person's profile or making a no-look portrait adds variety to your shoot and can help your subject feel more comfortable in front of the camera. But, when you direct their face away, they usually turn their eyes more than their head. When the eyes are cranked way over to one side and you can mostly see only whites in the eyes, it … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Avoid creepy eyes

How to get perfect detail and tones in environmental portraits

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Making pictures of people who are good at their craft while they are doing their craft is one of the best subjects you can ever find. They are passionate, you are passionate, and the pictures always turn out well. When I make environmental portraits, I do my best to control the light. However, since I'm invading someone's space and interrupting their day, it's best to be as quick as possible. That means that I never get to set up four lights with gels and grids to highlight and isolate the interesting stuff. Fortunately, you can use tone … [Read more...] about How to get perfect detail and tones in environmental portraits

Heartening statistics about photography use

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I found this infographic heartening because I'm always hearing about the devaluation of photography. But, according to this, it sounds like photos and images are still the most important tool for reaching people with lasting impact. Think about that next time you trip the shutter. The infographic is provided by MDG Advertising.       … [Read more...] about Heartening statistics about photography use

Get the most from your photo; use a single frame in Aurora HDR 2019

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Create amazing HDR photographs with Skylum’s Aurora HDR 2019. Purchase today and save plus get a free bundle of training, LUTs and Looks too! Or download a free trial version. Limited time offer. Aurora HDR 2019 has a significant update: It's got artificial intelligence. Using the new Quantum HDR engine, it actually analyzes your photo to see what kind of picture it is and what sorts of adjustments it will need. It's amazing. Normally, we think of using HDR software on a bracket of images all made at different exposures. But Aurora HDR 2019 … [Read more...] about Get the most from your photo; use a single frame in Aurora HDR 2019