I don’t shoot landscapes (like, never, ever). So when the Skylum’s team asked us to give it a try on their Aurora HDR 2019 update, I wasn’t sure what I could write about. My amazing editor, Kevin, told me the articles didn’t have to be super long - and I just had to stay true to myself. So I thought about this big CrossFit event I covered a few days earlier. We were outdoors and the lighting conditions were challenging — to say the least. So I just popped my images into the software and well... I got results I wasn't expecting. Here are my … [Read more...] about How I use the new Aurora HDR 2019 for NON-landscape photography
Michèle Grenier
Michele has developed a distinctive expertise as a sports portrait photographer. Specializing in commercial, event and advertising photography, she help companies and professionals in the industry to stand out and showcase their products and services with striking, high-quality images. She has created portraits of dozens of national and international athletes in more than twenty disciplines and realized numerous projects with major sports-related organizations and events such as Atlas Project, Lululemon, LYFT-RX and XPN World. See her portfolio: www.michelegrenierphoto.com
Latest posts by Michèle Grenier (see all)
- How I use the new Aurora HDR 2019 for NON-landscape photography - September 18, 2018
- Evolving as a visual artist takes time, work and practice - August 25, 2018
- The Illuminati Meter: What is that? - August 16, 2018
Evolving as a visual artist takes time, work and practice
This week was a stepping stone for me. It was the third time I was covering the same annual CrossFit competition. Three years of hard work. Three years of experience. I thought it would be cool to do a recap of my three years of evolving as a visual artist in the sports field. I realize that lots of things have changed - and I'm not only talking about my cameras. 2016: Where it all began I remember when I got into photography. I started by taking pictures of everything. A walk in the park was an excuse to bring my camera and experiment … [Read more...] about Evolving as a visual artist takes time, work and practice
The Illuminati Meter: What is that?
When Rudy Guttosch from Illuminati Instrument Corp sent me this intriguing device, I wasn't really sure how I was going to use it. I don't particularly enjoy having to bring extra stuff at photo shoots. Still, for the purpose of this article, I gave it a try and took it with me on location. Well, I have to admit it, I've been quite fascinated by all what my new buddy could do for me for less than 62 grams of weight. First things first: what is that Illuminati thing? The Illuminati light and color meter does exactly what its name says it … [Read more...] about The Illuminati Meter: What is that?
Charging the right price: Why is it important?
This article came to my mind a couple weeks ago, as I was approached by several event organizers. They likely were expecting my services for free and were almost hit by lightning when I educated them on the value of what they were asking for. That led me to one important question: Why some people believe that (our fair and right) prices are too high? I finally came up with an answer and found different ways to assert my services. Why do some people mistakenly believe that photographer's rates are too high? How many times have we seen on … [Read more...] about Charging the right price: Why is it important?
How to simply create powerful black & white images
(Editor's note: Making photographs on an active railway is not only a flagrant violation of safety, it is also seriously illegal. Michèle Grenier, the author of this article, made the accompanying photographs on abandoned tracks. Read this post for more info.) Beautiful colored pictures catch attention. But sometimes, a beautiful colored image can look even more stunning if edited in black and white. Here are a few simple tips to help you choose the best pictures to convert and edit them properly to maximize your "WOW" effect! How to … [Read more...] about How to simply create powerful black & white images
Hiring a professional photographer: Is it really worth your money?
Nowadays, anyone can take pictures anywhere, anytime. Everybody has a cell phone in their pocket and/or a camera in their bag. It's available, it's convenient and it's cheap. As a business owner or an event organizer, why bother spending big bucks on a professional photographer for something anyone could do? Well, let's talk about it for a minute. A lot of people think they can do the same work because they own a camera. They think it's an easy job, or they've done some photography and they feel qualified enough or they simply aren't aware … [Read more...] about Hiring a professional photographer: Is it really worth your money?
How To Make Self-Portraits: The Cheap And Easy Way
As some of you might now know, I am the kind of person that can be a perfectionist, but sometimes I also can be lazy. Reaaaaaaally lazy. Perhaps you can relate, you know, when you just don't want to do anything complicated, you just want to have fun! That's exactly how I felt when I did some really cool, easy and fun self-portraits. How to do it with minimal equipment and literally no setup - right here right now? Read on! So yesterday I was by myself at home, kind of bored, looking for something creative to do with my photography. Then, … [Read more...] about How To Make Self-Portraits: The Cheap And Easy Way
How to Step Up Your Boxing Photography Game
Boxing combines two challenging components for a photographer: bad lighting and high speed. Challenging task, indeed. Impossible? Not! Here are a few tips I wish I knew before shooting my first fight. The basics Who hasn't seen an amazing shot where someone gets a punch straight in the face - with sweat and blood all over the place? Yeah, this is the ultimate action shot everybody is looking for at a boxing event. It's those kinds of when-preparation-meets-opportunity, you know, "lucky" shots. This instant lasts for such a brief moment, a … [Read more...] about How to Step Up Your Boxing Photography Game
Photographer, Illustrator, Videographer… Don’t Know What to Call Yourself? Here’s the Good News
Growing up, I didn't know what to answer when people asked me what I wanted to be. And honestly, even today, despite the fact that I do full-time photography, I'm still unsure of how to categorize myself. If you ever felt like you didn't really know where you belonged, not because you have no interests but because you have too many, then keep on reading. Perhaps it will change the way you see yourself. Disclaimer I wish I could say I was the clever person who thought about the topic in this article. (If it was the case, I would probably have … [Read more...] about Photographer, Illustrator, Videographer… Don’t Know What to Call Yourself? Here’s the Good News
Combining the Power of Aurora HDR 2018 and Luminar 2018 In The Same Picture
I use Aurora and Luminar on a daily basis for my post-editing workflow - but not at all once on the same image. I finally decided to combine both... and the only thing I've asked myself is "Why in the world haven't I tried this earlier?!" In this article, I explain step by step what I did to create this beautiful sunset picture and show you how you can do it too! Step 1: Open your image in Aurora HDR 2018 For those of you who are not familiar with the software, Aurora HDR 2018 is an amazing tool (for Mac and PC users!) to edit pictures. … [Read more...] about Combining the Power of Aurora HDR 2018 and Luminar 2018 In The Same Picture
Free Photoshoots: Why Do I Do Them?
This image that you see right here - the cover one - this is a picture I've taken last week with a triathlon athlete for her blog. Did I get money for that? No. Am I happy with that? Yes. Will I do it again in the future? You bet! You ask: "But Michèle, how can it be good when you don't get paid?" Well, here's my humble opinion about free photoshoots. The importance of personal projects As a professional photographer, I thought that I had to spend as much time - if not more - on my business than on my actual photography. After all, being a … [Read more...] about Free Photoshoots: Why Do I Do Them?
How to Step Up Your Olympic Weightlifting Photography Game
So you’ve got a weightlifting event to cover and you'd like to get the most out of your day? Don't look any further: within these next lines, I'll share with you the best tips to get the highest impact and maximum intensity images at your next meet. Olympic Weightlifting (O-lift) includes two movements performed with an Olympic bar (barbell). Those two movements are called "the snatch" and "the clean and jerk". The first lift, the snatch, requires the athlete to lift the barbell from the ground to overhead in one continuous motion. The … [Read more...] about How to Step Up Your Olympic Weightlifting Photography Game
4 Reasons Why You Should Consider Getting An Office Out From Your Home
When we are at the beginning of our photographer career, we try to spend as little as possible on everything that doesn't seem necessary. By "necessary" of course, we mean our photography gear, camera body, lenses, bag, tripod, laptop. We don't necessarily think that renting an office is part of those basics expenses. Well, after reading this post, you might think about it twice! I have to admit it, I was more than a little scared when I signed my first lease contract a few months ago. I was barely out of school. I had no regular income. I … [Read more...] about 4 Reasons Why You Should Consider Getting An Office Out From Your Home
Improve Your Photography Skills For $0 – $5 with these Essential Tools
As a beginner photographer, we don't always have a killer budget to invest in education. I found some very useful tools over the years that helped me along the way without breaking the bank. Here are 5 totally FREE options to improve your photography skills! 1) YouTube This is such a powerful one. We have access to thousands of hours of free content right at our fingertips. Everything is in there. I can't tell you how many times I looked for video tutorials and how many times I found the answers in a matter of seconds. There are … [Read more...] about Improve Your Photography Skills For $0 – $5 with these Essential Tools
Why Your “Lightweight” Gear Works for Heavy Weight Pictures
I was looking at the picture from the cover of my previous article How to Step Up Your CrossFit Photography Game and I realized something really cool. This was actually one of my debut portraits in sports photography. It has been taken with my first camera: an old Nikon D5000. Even if I've taken thousands of cool pictures with better gear since then, I still really like this image two years later. That leads to something really important we should remember starting out photography: the gear doesn't make the photographer. Buy what you can … [Read more...] about Why Your “Lightweight” Gear Works for Heavy Weight Pictures
How to Step Up Your CrossFit Photography Game
Sports is an exciting yet intricate field of photography. CrossFit is perhaps one of the most exciting of all. I've been specializing in this amazing sport for over two years. I finally decided to gather my thoughts on the subject. Here is some of my top advice to get incredible athlete portraits on your next WOD-Workout Of the Day. Three essential components To me, a great action shot combines three essential elements: light, movement, and expression. A good action shot gets two of them. But a real jaw-dropping great picture hits all three. … [Read more...] about How to Step Up Your CrossFit Photography Game
Quick Tip: Unravel the Meanders of Your Mind
Okay, I take absolutely no credit for this one. When I saw Rich Harrington using this app, I just thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. I mean... it's like a map app for your brain! I had to share it with the world!!! So here it is the MindNode app. It helps you develop your ideas with branches instead of traditional lists. It is an app for Mac and iOS users. I'm not sure if we (Apple users) should brag about this or if we tend to have more mixed up ideas than Windows users... Never mind. It really helps my tremendously evasive … [Read more...] about Quick Tip: Unravel the Meanders of Your Mind
The Photoshop Action That Will Bring Your Sports Shots to Another Level
A few months ago, I discovered an amazing action to edit my sports shots in Photoshop. Everytime I use it, I get great feedback from my followers and athletes. Let me show you how you can, in one simple click, turn out a good picture into a massive impact work of art. What is a Photoshop action? An action, simply put, is a series of modifications that are recorded to obtain a precise result over and over again. An action can be as simple as a single saturation layer but can also be a very complex algorithm with hundreds of interrelated … [Read more...] about The Photoshop Action That Will Bring Your Sports Shots to Another Level
My First Aurora HDR 2018 Experience
I just got Aurora HDR 2018 and I couldn't wait to try it with different shots. What does it do? How do I feel working in this brand new environment? Here are my thoughts on my first hands-on experience with the software! Landscape I was pretty excited to edit some of the pictures we'd taken in Vegas last week. The sunrise was amazing and so was the scenery. I had an issue at the location: I forgot my tripod! That meant bye-bye to the standard three-or-more-exposures-merged-to-HDR technique and hello handheld camera. Since I wasn't in the … [Read more...] about My First Aurora HDR 2018 Experience
How I Got the Shot: Karate Class in Low Light
(Vanelli's note: Michèle Grenier, a talented sports photographer based out of Quebec City, Canada, needed 75 hours of mentoring before she could complete her degree in photography. After meeting her at Photoshop World a year earlier, she called to ask me if I could be her mentor—I’m based out of the East Coast of Florida. Honored, I said yes and, when she arrived, we dove into a 13-hour day of learning and shooting. To help reinforce her learning, I asked her to gather her thoughts and write a few “How I Got the Shot:" articles. Here’s what she … [Read more...] about How I Got the Shot: Karate Class in Low Light
How I Got the Shot: The High Jump
(Vanelli's note: Michèle Grenier, a talented sports photographer based out of Quebec City, Canada, needed 75 hours of mentoring before she could complete her degree in photography. After meeting her at Photoshop World a year earlier, she called to ask me if I could be her mentor—I’m based out of the East Coast of Florida. Honored, I said yes and, when she arrived, we dove into a 13-hour day of learning and shooting. Her first shoot was at a high school track-and-field event. To help reinforce her learning, I asked her to gather her thoughts and … [Read more...] about How I Got the Shot: The High Jump
