This week, Levi Sim told us about a great tool to help you learn keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop and Lightroom. Then, Darren Miles walked us through the benefits of tethering.
Joy Celine Asto looked at the creative architecture photography of Matthias Heiderich, while Bob Coates walked us through getting started with Olympus Live ND. Finally, Julie Powell explained exposure compensation, and how to use it.
Learn your keyboard shortcuts easily with LogicKeyboard - If you want your Photoshop and Lightroom experience to be better, you need to learn keyboard shortcuts. Shortcuts allow you to activate tools and settings and perform common tasks with either a single key or a combination of keystrokes. In fact, you already use keyboard shortcuts each time you type a capital letter using the shift key or copy a line of text with command + C. Keyboard shortcuts are marvelous. It is amazing how much faster you can work when you don’t have to rely on moving a mouse around the screen. In Lightroom, if you want to crop your picture, you can mouse over to the crop icon on the top right … or you just press R and the crop tool is opened. K opens the adjustment brush. M opens the gradient filter. Shift+M opens the radial gradient filter. Q opens the spot removal tool. Those are some of my favorites. But there’s also E for the Library Module, D for the Develop Module, and Shift+N to project Survey mode on a second screen. How can you possibly learn them all??? Shortcut for shortcuts In Lightroom, press command + / (control + / on PC) and it’ll pop up a sheet of all the shortcuts for the module you’re working in. Click on the sheet to make it disappear. In Photoshop, use option + command + shift + K. That’s cool, but it’s not a very intuitive way to learn shortcuts. Shortcut keyboard LogicKeyboard makes keyboards dedicated to helping you become faster with the software tools you use. I’ve been using their Adobe Photographer ASTRA keyboard, and I like it very well. It’s perfect for those of us who subscribe to the Adobe Photographer bundle with Lightroom and Photoshop. In addition to the standard letters and controls on the keys, there are also colored and graphical indicators that teach you what each key does. Check out the H key. Next to the H, you can see a hand icon, which indicates this is the key that gets you the Hand tool in Photoshop. Above that, in the black section of the key, it also says “Hide Overlay” and in Lightroom that makes the overlay of whatever tool you’re using disappear. In the crop tool, it’ll hide the crossbars; in the spot removal tool it hides the button for each spot you’ve removed; in the adjustment brush, it hides the adjustment button for each set of adjustments. Or, if it’s hidden it reveals the overlay. That’s a very handy shortcut key in both apps. And each key has multiple uses. You’ll see a colored dot on the key, which corresponds to the combination key (shift, command, option, control, function) that combines with it to perform and action. While using it, you’ll naturally start to pick up on the shortcuts. I really like the graphic icons because they show me the corresponding tool I’m looking for in Photoshop. And it’s a great keyboard Besides the shortcut overlay, the ASTRA keyboard is a pleasure to use. The keys are all where my fingers expect them to be and they have a satisfying movement and click. It’s a 10-key layout, so it’s a terrific upgrade to your laptop keyboard. It’s also backlit with adjustable brightness, and it has two USB 2.0 ports on the back. I like that the keyboard and USB ports use two connectors on the 6-foot cable. Amazingly, each key is rated for 10,000,000 presses. If you’ve pressed your keys 10 million times, then you’ll certainly be a shortcut master. This keyboard is weighted nicely and doesn’t shift around as you type. The angle and layout are very ergonomic. You can feel its quality construction. Plus, it’s available for both Mac and PC layouts. Shortcut to a great gift This is an easy purchase that anyone will appreciate. Using this keyboard will teach you the shortcuts that will make you a more proficient and swift Photoshop and Lightroom user. Saving time pressing buttons on the computer means more time pressing buttons on the camera, and that’s what everyone needs. And with the holidays coming up, it’s a pretty easy gift — it’s on sale right now at B&H for $115. Be sure to consider LogicKeyboard’s other ASTRA keyboards for popular creative apps, too. There are keyboards available for Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and more.
Making the most of a backup plan: Olympus Live ND at Oak Creek Canyon, part one - I recently got up early to beat the crowds up to a popular hiking spot called West Fork in Oak Creek Canyon. But apparently I didn’t get up early enough — the parking lot was already lined up out to the street by the time I arrived. Lucky me! It pushed me to try a new spot on the creek. I love it when a plan falls apart. Here’s the result. Hike From a pullout on the side of the road, I scrambled down the hill to the creek. Armed with my tripod, cameras and lenses I moved along the creek banks. I choose a spot that looked deep down the waterway and showed some depth. My lens choice was the M.Zukio 12-100mm f/4, because it allowed me to work many different compositions of the scene. It has a similar field of view to a 24-200mm full frame lens. Exposure One thing I have been doing lately is slightly to severely overexposing the scene when in challenging lighting conditions. I find overexposure gives the highest quality pixels and me greatest latitude. In the past, with what I thought was a good exposure, left me with blocked up blacks and noise in deep shadow areas. It calls for a bit more work in post-production, but it’s more than worth the extra time. Being on the water I like to deploy the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Live ND feature — which creates a look representing a Neutral Density (ND) filter. In this case with slow moving water, it helped to smooth out the creek a bit. The filter works by making five exposures and blending the moving bits together. A 25-second exposure calls for a steady tripod, so I relied on the Fotopro Eagle E6L. This is a light yet sturdy carbon fiber tripod with dust and waterproof legs. I like the quick level ball head for making leveling adjustments without having to adjust the legs. The final exposure took a little over two minutes. Luckily for me, there was not a breeze stirring in the predawn hour. Post-production The image was processed two separate times in Adobe Camera RAW; once each for shadows and highlights. Layered together, these images were blended using Raya Pro luminosity masks. There are a number of luminosity mask extensions available. I like the one put out by Jimmy McIntyre. He has a free panel version and a full extension panel that make more selection possibilities available. Following the blending of exposures a bit of cleanup was needed. Small changes were made using the Clone Stamp, Spot Healing Brush and Patch Tools. Additional work was done on the shadows and highlights with Soft Light Layers to dodge and burn, which adds additional depth and dimension. All layers were merged for a trip to Luminar 4. The Mystical filter was employed in addition to some enhancement with structure. A small bit of Gaussian blur is added to it’s own layer and masked in. It was added to the trees in the distance. The final Here’s a look at the final image. A bit of selective sharpening and more Soft Light Layer dodging and burning completed the process. Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
Photography 101: What is exposure compensation? - In this article, I take a look at exposure compensation on digital cameras and how you can take advantage of it to make adjustments when shooting in-camera modes like aperture priority. Many of today’s digital cameras are super smart and have the built-in capability to adjust exposure settings when using various camera modes such as Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program and various scene modes. It’s dependent on the metering mode you use, but even when you have selected the correct metering mode for your shot, the camera doesn’t always get it right. So what is exposure compensation? So what is exposure compensation you may ask? This allows photographers to override the exposure settings selected by the camera. The light meter in most cameras works by evaluating light reflected off your subject and compares it to a standardized formula (mostly a middle gray). This is why some cameras may seem slightly darker than others for the same shot. When you point at something very dark, the camera will try to lighten everything up. Likewise, if you have a very bright subject the camera will darken things down. It is basically trying to even out the histogram a little. This is a little frustrating in challenging lighting conditions when the camera adjusts a little too aggressively, such as at the beach (all that sun and white sand, or the snow). So how do you find it? This is found on most modern DSLR and mirrorless cameras with a +/- button or a wheel with -3 up to +3 (check your camera manual). When working in various camera modes (other than Manual), you sometimes need a little help to get the exposure correct. Aperture Priority mode, for example. You set the aperture and ISO, but the camera calculates the shutter speed. The cameras are pretty smart but do not always get it right. If you are in a situation where it is very bright (like shooting into a backlight) your camera will see it as too much overall light and try to make things darker. But what if you don’t want things darker? You can either switch to Manual mode and change it yourself, or you can use exposure compensation and fix it in-camera. So how does it work? To start with, you must be in a camera mode or scene mode, as being in Manual mode will do nothing — unless you’re using Auto ISO. I usually use it in Aperture Priority. If your scene is too dark in the viewfinder (or eyepiece), you can dial in a positive number (+EV). Or if the image is too bright, dial in a negative number (-EV). With DSLR cameras that have an optical viewfinder, they will possibly have an exposure compensation area within the viewfinder that looks like a scale with a 0 in the middle, — on one side and + on the other. In newer mirrorless cameras with an electronic viewfinder, you should see the image brighten or darken as you adjust, making it easier to see the end result. Why does it only go from -3 to +3? This allows you to add three full stops of light, or to remove three full stops of light. It is unlikely you need more than that. If you do, you may have to swap over to Manual mode to get the correct exposure, or make other adjustments that impact exposure, like adjusting your aperture or ISO.
Three reasons why you should consider tethering - Tethering is essentially connecting your camera to a computer or laptop for instant viewing of your images as you are taking them. There are several reasons why you would want to do this — here are three of the big ones. 1. Shorten the sales cycle Allow me to explain the scenario prior to tethering. Usually, in a portrait session of a business professional, I’ll take 50-100 images of a subject. I’ll go home, cull the images that are not worthy of consideration, mildly edit those images (color, lens profile and exposure correct in Lightroom), load them to a gallery and email said gallery to the customer. Then, I’ll wait. I’m waiting for their selection(s). Sometimes their response is immediate, sometimes it takes weeks and occasionally, I never hear from them at all. Bottom line is, I may be waiting 1-2 weeks for a response and incremental sales opportunities. Everything changes when I tether. Gratification is instant! I have the opportunity to go over the images with the client immediately. 90% of the time, they will make their decision at the studio. I don’t have the cull the images, I don’t have to send the client a gallery and most importantly, I don’t have to wait to make the sale! 2. Increase sales If you’re anything like me, you’re in the photography business to make a living. Sales and cash flow are the lifeblood of any business. Tethering creates an in-person sales opportunity which is a much more active way to sell. Ask any photographer who’s done in-person sales and how much more revenue and sales they generate from these sessions. Before tethering, the norm was waiting two weeks or longer to make a sale — that model does not help the bottom line or increase cash flow. Tethering changes everything! With tethering, I have the opportunity to go over the images before the client leaves the studio. He or she will often select 2-3 images. My pricing model only includes one finished image with the sitting fee, additional images are incremental sales opportunities. When I tether and go over the images with a client at the end of a session, more than 70% of the time, they will select more than one image … This gives me the opportunity to potentially double or triple my sales with every session! 3. Increased customer satisfaction and the “coolness” factor My tethering setup is done through my MacBook Pro, Lightroom and Apple TV beamed to a big-screen TV in the lobby of my studio. As I’m taking photos of a subject, oftentimes their friends, colleagues and family are there with them. When images appear on the big screen, there’s simply nothing cooler than the instant feedback that’s gained from a tethered session! The “oohs” and “aahs” are audible and encouraging. The sounds of friends and family admiring images of the subject will give him or her an increased sense of confidence and self-assuredness that can be difficult for a photographer to convey. There’s simply nothing more powerful than third-party validation! What’s more, most people who go to a photography studio are often wowed by the perception of the “latest and greatest” technology being employed by YOUR studio. There’s something “cool” about the whole tethering experience! My tethering setup How do I tether? I will run an Area51 or Tether Tools cable from my Canon EOS R directly into my Apple MacBook Pro laptop. I’ll use the tethering session in Lightroom and I’ll connect my Apple TV to the laptop to the 50-inch TV in the lobby wirelessly. Then, as I’m taking the images, they’ll appear instantaneously on the big screen for everyone in the studio to see. Oohs and aahs ensue and the overall experience is overwhelmingly positive! Should you tether? Well, ultimately, that’s up to you. But as someone who used to NOT tether, I can tell you when I do tether, my sales increase, my customer satisfaction goes way up and my bottom line grows as a result. What are your experiences with tethering? Share in the comments below!
Revealing colorful geometric details in architecture - If you’re in need of a creative exercise for developing your eye for details, getting into architecture photography is one of your options. You can think of photographing architecture as hunting for art in the unlikeliest places and the most unexpected mix of things. Such is what I experience whenever I look at the works of photographers like Berlin-based Matthias Heiderich. I think of architecture as a form of functional art with all these details just begging to be looked at, experienced and explored. Of course, these elements also often make great subjects for photographers, especially to those who enjoy sharing their unique way of seeing their surroundings. I am particularly drawn to colors and patterns in urban environments as well, and of course, urban environments are never short of them. Catching attention with saccharine colors Colors probably aren’t the first that come to mind when we speak of architecture. But in his ongoing “Summa” series, Matthias has been doing a great job of picking the best spots to grab our attention with colorful urban details. I like how many of these show everyday locations and unassuming spots in cities like Warsaw, Madrid, Barcelona, Vienna, Krakow, Tokyo and of course, his hometown of Berlin. Now on its fifth installment, “Summa” is a great example of how color can guide us to see familiar places differently and creatively. It may take some practice and a fair amount of time to search for these eye-catching spots. However, I think that it’s a creative exercise — like a color study — that we can incorporate into our daily schedule to keep our creative juices flowing. Drawing the eyes through hypnotic geometry In a good number of photos from each “Summa” installment, we also see Matthias play with the different textures, shapes and patterns scattered around the cities he was exploring. The effect is interesting and artsy when paired with all the saccharine colors, and I think that’s part of the appeal o this approach. I like how the architecture series is also an homage of some sort to architectural styles like brutalism and modernism and their distinct geometric features. Overall, I find Matthias’ approach to architectural photography to be an inspiring way to pay attention to the hidden or even accidental art that surrounds us. We may not come across spots that are as colorful or geometric as the ones in this body of work, but I hope that we’ll all be motivated anyway to process what we find and present them in our own creative style. So, keep an eye out for artsy architectural details when you head out on your next photography practice! Don’t forget to visit Matthias Heiderich’s website and Behance portfolio to see more of his work. All photos by Matthias Heiderich. Used with Creative Commons permission.
