The Weekly Wrap-up compiles interesting articles published this week on Photofocus. This week features image processing software — Luminar 3, Perfectly Clear Complete — a pair about shooting holiday icons, a guide to cleaning sensors and photographing high-end interior retail. Hope your holidays are safe and fun!
Understanding Luminar 3 in five minutes or less - Learning new software can be challenging and frustrating. This can cause some not to upgrade or try something new even if it’s better than what they are using. Here's how to understand Luminar 3 in five minutes or less to start processing your images frustration-free.
Creative Christmas tree light photography - Christmas is a wonderful time of year for us photographers because we get to experiment with all of the beautiful colors and shapes associated with the season. I’m always striving to find new ways to be creative, so last year I challenged myself to produce creative interpretations of Christmas tree lights. I’d like to show you six different techniques I used that should help get your own creative juices flowing. Since these images require long exposures, you’ll need to use a tripod. Also, you’ll need to use a zoom lens that allows manual focusing. For each of the photos in this article, I used a 70-200mm that has separate rings for zoom and focus. Some of the images require a slow rotation of the zoom and focus rings, while others require fast rotation. Technique 1: Zoom, defocused image, long exposure For this image, I started the exposure with the tree out of focus. This approach gave the image a very creamy/soft overall look. I exposed the photo for approximately two seconds before I started zooming the lens. Doing so allows the colors of the tree (green) to register before creating the zoom effect. Technique 2: Quick zoom with slow focus rack To achieve this look, you’ll need to start by focusing on the tree, so everything is sharp at the beginning of the exposure. Then, don’t change zoom or focus for approximately two seconds so the tree registers in the exposure. During the third and fourth seconds of the exposure, quickly zoom the lens to achieve the light trails, then at the end of the exposure, slightly rotate the focus ring to produce the small dots of light at the end of the light trails. Technique 3: Quick zoom with fast focus rack This technique is very similar to Technique 2, but the difference is that you make a much faster/larger rotation of the focus ring at the end of the exposure. Start the shot by focusing on the tree for the first two seconds of the exposure. Then, during the third second, quickly zoom the lens. Near the end of the fourth second, rack the focus ring all the way to the focus stop. The rapid rotation of the focus ring at the end of the exposure will lead to the large blobs of light (that’s a technical term). Technique 4: Rotate camera around lens For this image, you’ll need a lens with a built-in lens collar. Start the photo with the tree in focus, then expose for approximately two seconds to register the tree on the exposure. During the last two seconds of the exposure, rotate the camera around the lens collar in order to achieve the circular look. This technique can also produce some really great effects if you rotate the camera while simultaneously zooming or defocusing. Producing that look will require two people; one to rotate the camera around the lens, and the other to zoom/focus the lens. Technique 5: Blue Hour, slow zoom and focus The key to achieving this look is to shoot during the blue hour. Since our Christmas tree was positioned in front of a window, I waited until about 30 minutes after sunset and began shooting long exposures during the blue hour. For the specific photo shown here, I slowly zoomed while rapidly rotating the focus ring during the 2-second exposure. Moving the zoom slowly made the light trails short while rotating the focus ring quickly made the blobs of light change from small to large. Technique 6: Use a computer screen For these images, I started with a photograph of a Christmas tree taken with a star filter. After completing the shot, I opened the image on my computer and displayed it on my monitor with a black background. Finally, I used the zoom and focus techniques shown previously during the exposure to produce some creative results. I hope these shots provide you with some creative ideas to start producing your own version of creative Christmas tree photographs. I’d love to see some of your examples and hear what works well for you. Leave a note in the comment section below to let me know what you came up with.
Quick Guide: Cleaning your camera and your lenses - If you photograph a decent amount, you probably need to clean your camera and lenses pretty regularly. As a professional photographer, cleaning my gear is something I do regularly, so I like having good tools for the job. Cleaning your camera and lenses isn’t as paramount and complicated as cleaning your sensor, but it’s good to do it from time to time. If you have a few good tools, it can be a quick endeavor. Dust blower The first thing is usually getting rid of dust and particles. A good dust blower is usually enough, I recommend the Giottos Rocket Blaster. Just blow air on the lens or the camera (like on the viewfinder). Lenspen My favorite tool to clean my lens and my viewfinder is the Lenspen Lens Cleaner. One end is a brush, which is great to remove dust that sticks to your lens and can’t be removed with a blower. The other end is a cleaning tip that does wonder on your lens. Just brush over your front or back element and it will remove almost everything. I just love it. Lens cloth & cleaning solution If your lens or your camera is still dirty, then it’s more than just dust. You need to go with a wet cleaning. It’s pretty easy, you just need a lens cloth and some cleaning fluid. Any microfiber cloth will do, but if you want a recommendation, go with the Lenspen MicroKlear Microfiber Cloth. Again, you can use any cleaning solution, but make sure you check it’s suitable for lenses. I’d recommend Eclipse Optic Cleaning Solution. Just apply a few drops of the solution on the cloth and start wiping your lens. If it smears a little bit, reapply some solution or use the Lenspen to finish it up. It works for everything! I hope this gives you some good tools to keep your equipment clean. Having the right tools for the job will save you a lot of time and headaches. What other tools do like to use? Leave a comment below!
Interior design: Photographing high-end retail - Architectural photography is a larger genre than most people think. On the commercial side, the type of building or space matters a lot and some photographers are specialized in residential properties or hospitality, for example. Today, I wanted to talk about photographing high-end retail. Over the past couple of years, I’ve been commissioned by luxury brands to photograph the stores opening in Toronto. It’s a pretty specific type of photography, so here are a few tips if you’re photographing a high-end store. Contract Make sure you make them sign a contract and push for your terms. In my experience, large brands tend to want to own all the rights. So, make sure you send your contract and that they agree to your terms. Remember: They usually want the photos for press releases and internal documents, they rarely use them for actual advertising, so there’s room to negotiate. Planning Shooting a brand new store can be stressful. You often don’t have a lot of time and the deadline is tight. For example, the last store I photographed, they give me two hours on the morning of the opening. That’s pretty standard. Two years ago, Dior asked me to shoot its store the night before the opening (after 8 p.m.) and to have the proofs sent to Paris by 2 a.m. for approval before the opening of the store. So plan accordingly. Make sure you have enough time to shoot when discussing the shoot with the client. I asked for more time on some shoots. In my experience, brands do not need a lot of images, often between five and 10 depending on the size of the store. So you don’t need too much time. Brand guidelines It’s not rare for luxury brands to have specific guidelines for store photoshoots. They might send you a PDF with instructions, like types of shots, things to focus on, etc. If they don’t, ask if they have one or if they have specific instructions. Setup High-end brands are usually very particular about how the store looks. They flew someone from New York or California specifically for the photoshoot on more than one occasion. If you’re going to move anything, it might be good to ask the store employees beforehand. On my last photoshoot, they wouldn’t let me move anything in the store. Lighting Lighting is often very specific in stores and usually, it looks great in camera. I’ve learned not to bring my own lighting, as it just detracts from the design. Another mistake I used to make is making the shots too bright in post-processing, thus ruining the actual lighting of the store. As one client described it, it’s not a bright, bland office space but a store with specific lighting. Retouching Be prepared for a good amount of retouching. The client will likely send you a lot of instructions for the retouching, including cropping, removing distracting elements (reflections, sprinklers, lights, etc.), color correction (blue casts from outside) and more. Make sure you include enough time for retouching and that your pricing reflects that. I love shooting high-end stores. The attention to details is impressive and the designs are just beautiful. If you can get that kind of clients, they pay well and the work is great!
Working with Looks for creative outcomes in Perfectly Clear - 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 article, I’m going to show you how you can use Looks in Perfectly Clear to create a unique look and feel in your photographs. A look is a way for you to ‘grade’ or uniquely colorize your photograph to have a certain look and feel. Perfectly Clear Looks makes this fast and easy. In the video, I’m going to take an original photograph and create the following looks. Black and white Colder look but keeping the color Dark and foreboding Warm and inviting More pop, pizzazz and fun More film like Watch the video Conclusion Looks in Perfectly Clear is a creative tool for creating that look and feel you want in your photographs. It comes with 42 Looks in four categories to get you started. You can also purchase additional Looks below. As you explore Looks and apply them, you may want to go back and make adjustments to previous settings to fine-tune the look. The best way to learn them is to explore them with your creativity. Additional Looks Here is a link to the current Presets, Looks and Add-ons. Here is a link to the Photofocus Looks here. I hope you found this article helpful and enjoyable!
Ho ho ho macro holidays - There are hundreds, probably thousands of images taken during the holidays. Family, friends, gift unwrapping, food, parties and so much more. Most of those images are wide shots, full scenes of the activities and decorations. Have you ever thought to step a little closer? Let’s look at some ways you can get the details of your holidays as well to complete the story of your festivities. Decorations Try as we might to preserve the ornaments and decorations that have been handed down from our relatives over the years or those wonderful homemade ornaments that you brought home from school when you were little, they wear out, break and can get lost. What better way to keep those memories alive and record the history of your family traditions than taking photos of them. Macro shots bring us in and help us feel like we can still touch them, hold them in our hands and maybe even create new ornaments with the images we’ve taken. Food Are there special recipes in your family that are only shared over the holidays? It’s nice to have images of the amazing food that is passed down generation after generation, but how about some detailed shots of how that melty chocolate looks, or what the garnish looks like when placed just right? Why not take those images and create your own family cookbook to hand out next year? Lights Use lights as a background for your image. The colors and bokeh can be fun and interesting. Place the lights behind clear or translucent ornaments to see the effects. Capture the light reflected in the shiny ornaments. The only limit is your imagination. Don’t have a macro lens? Use reverse ring adapters or extension tubes. These can both be an inexpensive way to introduce yourself to the world of macro photography. Cheat. What I mean by cheating is to use your telephoto zoom lens to zoom in. That can work as well. If not that, in today’s mega megapixel cameras you can crop as well. Pull into the scene to grab the detail you want out of it. Explore. Experiment. Play. Be a kid. Most of all, have fun with it and have a wonderful holiday season.
