By default, pressing the shutter button down half way activates the autofocus feature. It's handy, quick and can lead to some compositional issues. Center of the frame syndrome The autofocus sensors are most accurate at the center of the viewfinder. Because of this, there are a lot of photographs with the subject placed in the exact center of the frame. Usually, a subject in the dead center of the frame is a poor composition. Not to mention that much of the frame is wasted because of the extra room above the subject's head. Yes, the camera … [Read more...] about Take Control with Back Button Focusing
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Automatically Generate XMP Files in Lightroom
Do you know if you’re Lightroom Catalog is writing XMP data automatically? An XMP file is a sidecar or additional file that contains the metadata to a raw image. When Lightroom makes changes to a raw file, the raw file itself remains unchanged. A sidecar file is created to tell editing programs what has changed in the image. “Adobe’s Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) is a file labeling technology that lets you embed metadata into files themselves during the content creation process.” - Adobe By default, Lightroom does not automatically … [Read more...] about Automatically Generate XMP Files in Lightroom
Auto-Stack Images in Lightroom for Easier HDR Processing
The other day I was showing a friend how to send images to be merged into an HDR in Photomatix Pro by exporting from Lightroom. When we were going through his image library, it was difficult for him to remember which images were in each sequence. He couldn't remember if his camera was set to show the image sequence as -2, -1, 0, +1, +2 or 0, -2, -1, +1, +2. Sometimes he would take a sequence then vary the shot, and looking at the thumbnails was difficult. Rather than struggle to find each sequence, we enabled Auto Stack in Lightroom. Stacks … [Read more...] about Auto-Stack Images in Lightroom for Easier HDR Processing
When to Use Your Camera’s Auto Mode
While covering a water polo event, I noticed a mom holding her camera. I looked at her and she smiled and said I know, I know Im holding it wrong. She then turned her hand and cupped the lens properly. She laughed and said she read my article, For Gods Sake, Learn to Hold Your Camera!. We both started to laugh as she introduced herself. She said, Now I need to learn how to take my camera out of auto mode. You would not believe how many times I hear that request. My reply, embrace your auto mode and learn from it. New photographers shy away … [Read more...] about When to Use Your Camera’s Auto Mode
New GoPro HERO 4 Firmware Updates
GoPro just released major new firmware updates for their popular HERO 4 camera, bringing a few different video frame rates and a new video time lapse mode. Firmware updates allow manufacturers to unlock features in their cameras that were undeveloped at the release and can add value to their customers. It's almost like getting a brand-new camera! HERO 4 Black and Silver Edition Upgrades Time Lapse Video Mode In a world of instant gratification, GoPro added a new Time Lapse Video mode. The HERO 4 will record a time lapse and convert it into a … [Read more...] about New GoPro HERO 4 Firmware Updates
How to Transfer Mobile Photos to Lightroom using Dropbox
If you're like me, you probably take a lot of photos and video with your mobile phone. The images I get with my iPhone are what I call my "memory" images; they're not always the most pretty, but they document and record the things that are most important to me. Because of this, I want to make sure that I save these photos on my Drobo, where I know they will be safe and secure from hard-drive failure. Here is how I regularly import my iPhone images to Lightroom. 1. Create an account with Dropbox (or file-storing cloud service of your … [Read more...] about How to Transfer Mobile Photos to Lightroom using Dropbox
Jaguar Calendar Shoot – Post Mortem
This post should be read in context with the last post I did regarding getting ready for a big shoot. No matter how long I spend making photographs, I am never quite fully prepared for how things work out. I have always have high hopes and it doesn't hurt that I am too stupid to know I can fail, but in this case the weather helped and a little luck was also on hand. First - there was the rain - or thankfully - the lack of it. The clouds made for a great day of shooting and we were lucky that they didn't drop any water until after we left. … [Read more...] about Jaguar Calendar Shoot – Post Mortem
