Valerie Jardin's latest book is exactly what you need to get started with the wonderful genre of street photography, and it's a perfect refresher course for those with experience. Jardin is an energetic and passionate teacher who leads workshops for street photography in places like Paris and Chicago and when you read her book you'll feel that passion and it'll excite you to get out and shoot. The book is well organized and it is simple to read, yet it maintains an intelligent voice. Jardin's photography fills the book and the examples are … [Read more...] about “Street Photography: First Steps and Beyond” by Valerie Jardin
black and white
5 Ideas when faced with ‘blah’ light… but a GREAT location
Lately I've been working on a project which includes capturing ‘post card’ type images in and around San Francisco. A huge challenge with this project is that I'm doing on my own time, which ain't much, and it means that I can't often visit the best locations at the most ideal times. This presents a problem to solve which is, ‘How can I get at least a good (doesn’t have to be great) photo when the light isn’t very good?’ And I decided to share some ideas which have come from this experience. On one particular occasion, I took time to … [Read more...] about 5 Ideas when faced with ‘blah’ light… but a GREAT location
Photographer of the Day: Dan Warkentin
Category: Nature Photographer: Dan Warkentin Title: Mt. Kidd To often, landscapes are framed and executed as snapshots. Not so here. From location scouting, to composition & framing through to post-processing; Warkentin's deft choices show through in the final image. Photo originally shared in Photofocus' Flickr group. To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Dan Warkentin
Instant Replay: Making Great Black and White Photos in Lightroom
Black and white photographs can be very impactful, but there's so much more to making great black and whites than simply removing the color. In this episode, Adobe's Bryan O'Neil Hughes is back to help us demonstrate all the great tools Lightroom has for helping us make the most of our monochromes. Hosted by: Rob Sylvan and Levi Sim Produced by: Rich Harrington and Photofocus.com https://youtu.be/IsmIa1KXTPk?t=5m12s https://youtu.be/yuOLQva1iZs … [Read more...] about Instant Replay: Making Great Black and White Photos in Lightroom
Lightroom Hangout: Crafting Fine Art Black and White Portraits with Mykii Liu
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday 5/16 at 6:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Central, 4:00 pm Mountain, and 3:00 am Pacific. 7:30 pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Crafting … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Crafting Fine Art Black and White Portraits with Mykii Liu
Lightroom Hangout: Crafting Fine Art Black and White Portraits with Mykii Liu
You gotta join us live for our next Google+ Hangout, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be entered to win excellent prizes to help you in your work. (Note: MUST BE TUNED IN LIVE TO WIN). We'll be giving away a copy of Perfectly Clear from Athentech. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Monday 5/16 at 6:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Central, 4:00 pm Mountain, and 3:00 am Pacific. 7:30 pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: Crafting … [Read more...] about Lightroom Hangout: Crafting Fine Art Black and White Portraits with Mykii Liu
Photographer of The Day: Robert Johnson
Category: Wedding Photographer: Robert Johnson I chose this moment because Robert masterfully captured this bride in her veil. With a style evoking high fashion, Robert created a black and white photo with full tonal range (my favorite thing with black and whites) as well as a photo with a depth of field that catches every detail in the mesh of the veil and sparkle of the bride's eye. It is a beautiful job! Photo originally shared on our Photofocus Flickr Page here. To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read … [Read more...] about Photographer of The Day: Robert Johnson
Photographer of the Day: Marianna Roussou “Into the White”
Category: Portraits Photograph: by Marianna Roussou Originally shared on the Photofocus Flickr Community. To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Marianna Roussou “Into the White”
Photo of the Day: Emily
Category: Portraits Photograph: by Berit Alits Originally shared on the Photofocus Flickr Community. To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photo of the Day: Emily
Photographer of the Day: Kong
Category: Portraits Photograph: by Luis Alvarez Marra Originally shared on the Photofocus Flickr Community. To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Kong
Photo of the Day: That Look
Category: Family Photograph: "That Look", by Juliano Kki, originally shared in the Photofocus Facebook Group community right here. Join the group to see some of Juliano's other work, as well as other excellent work from our readers, and to share your own, too. It's a also a great place to get answers to your questions. To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photo of the Day: That Look
How to Create the Look – A Rugged Black & White Portrait
Background story After a few weeks of traveling on how to quickly enhance images, I found myself home with an open schedule. My friend Richard Thompson, President of our Melbourne camera club, called and asked if I could fill in for a canceled speaker. I have to admit I accepted the request partially out of guilt. I haven't taught in my hometown for a while and as tired as I was, I couldn't pass up this opportunity. The first part of my lecture was creating a Black & White portrait. I knew exactly who I wanted to photograph, my buddy and … [Read more...] about How to Create the Look – A Rugged Black & White Portrait
Photo of the Day: My Man at Porch Fest
Category: Portraits Photograph: by Originally shared on the . To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photo of the Day: My Man at Porch Fest
Photo of the Day: Under the Gateway
Category: Architecture Photograph: Under the Gateway, by Murray Fox Originally shared on the Photofocus Google Plus community. To learn how your work can be featured on the site, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photo of the Day: Under the Gateway
Push the Right Buttons
One of the keys to successful portrait photography is learning that the most important buttons you can push are not on your camera. On the eve of the 2006 NBA finals, I got a call to shoot Miami Heat All-Star guard Dwyane Wade for People Magazine. Dwyane was sick as a dog with a 103 degree fever, yet he was happy to give it his best shot. Im often asked what I say to bring out the expression I want when photographing a portrait. The truth is there is no magic phrase but there is a method. Rather than telling someone to smile or look … [Read more...] about Push the Right Buttons
Joel Grimes – The Story Behind the Photo
Join Photofocus' Melissa Niu and commercial photographer Joel Grimes as they explore the story behind one of Joel's favorite photo composites with soccer player, Bailey. https://youtu.be/0iDhvIGaA4U Brought to you by LensRentals - http://bit.ly/pflensrentals SongFreedom - http://bit.ly/songfreedom Photofocus - https://photofocus.com About Joel Grimes Joel is a commercial advertising photographer with a distinct style. His unique approach has earned him work from top advertising agencies and art buyers. View all of Joel Grimes's work … [Read more...] about Joel Grimes – The Story Behind the Photo
Painting In HDR With Snapseed
Google's Snapseed has undergone a facelift of late and one of the things Ive found helpful is the ability to brush in the HDR filter. Applying The HDR Scape Filter To apply the HDR filter tap the pencil icon in the bottom right corner Then slide up to reveal the filters. Among the filters is the new HDR Scape. This works much better than the Drama that you may have added before. Here add the adjustments to suit. In this example Im only adjusting for the portion of the image under the desk. The wall and windows Ill do later. Ill tap the … [Read more...] about Painting In HDR With Snapseed
Shooting Raw on a Smartphone with the LG G4
I was recently given the new LG G4 smartphone to try out by my friends at ThreeUK. Theres a lot I could write about the software, shape etcetera, but Im a phoneographer so lets get straight to the camera. Go Manual The camera is good on this phone but really comes into its own when you opt to switch to Manual mode. Here you can opt to change; White Balance Focal depth Exposure compensation ISO Shutter speed All pretty cool and opens up some great photographic opportunities, but what really got me excited was the option to shoot jpg or DNG … [Read more...] about Shooting Raw on a Smartphone with the LG G4
Great Black and White Images with iOS 8
Editing photos on the native iOS platform has always been lacking in refinement, that is until iOS 8. Apple introduced a photo editor that was a one touch simple editor with a second layer of editing control that allows for far more refinement. No Pixels Were Harmed. When viewing an image you can access the editor by tapping on Edit in the top right corner. If youre image was taken with your iOS device then the editor will open, however if you added an image from another source as I have here, then youre given the option to duplicate the image … [Read more...] about Great Black and White Images with iOS 8
Deep Red Lips…in Black & White
I get excited about black and white portraits, and it's amazing how much color they really hold. Each color in a portrait is translated into a tone of grey, and we can control those tones to affect the richness of the photograph. I'm pleased with the results I'm getting from Perfect Photo Suite 9, and it's made available some techniques I couldn't use before. The technique in this video hasn't worked for me in the past because the apps I've used for black and white have resulted in artifacts which look especially bad on skin. Give it a shot, … [Read more...] about Deep Red Lips…in Black & White
Creating Perfect Black and White Photographs with onOne
Editor's Note: This week, we're focussing on onOne Software's Perfect Photo Suite. We've asked several Photofocus writers to each make a tutorial. We'll also have a free preset pack at the end of the week for you. Black and white photographs let me express my vision. I often prefer then to color (here are three articles about making great black and whites both in camera and in post), and I make them in my camera as well as on the computer--heck, I even shoot black and white film. I often set my camera to monochrome and shoot RAW+JPEG, but … [Read more...] about Creating Perfect Black and White Photographs with onOne
Maximize Every Shoot With These Four Shots
It can be overwhelming to arrive at a beautiful landscape to make pictures, or to a portrait shoot and be faced with making great pictures on demand. When I make portraits for a client, I have to deliver, or there's no food on the table--how's that for pressure? Sometimes I see a good picture and I get excited about making it and I take some time to get it all set and it turns out just right and I love it. But if I leave it at that, then I've just spent all that time finessing the situation and walked away with only one good image. Instead, … [Read more...] about Maximize Every Shoot With These Four Shots
Leica M Monochrom: User Review
First things first; this is not a technical user review. Anyone can look up facts about the nuts and bolts of this (or any) camera, therefore I'm not going to waste time with that. I'm concerned with the user experience, which happens to be unlike anything I've ever experienced. I've wanted to review the Leica M Monochrom since the second I found out it even existed. Being a B&W fanatic, the thought of using a camera that doesn't record a shred of color info made me drool. Additionally (being a wedding photographer) the thought of an … [Read more...] about Leica M Monochrom: User Review
Colorize a Black and White Photo in Photoshop
Take a 'boring' black and white photo, and give it some color in Photoshop! This tutorial covers selection methods, Adjustment Layers, and Layer Masks, all of which will help you in your photo editing. [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r68BN6Mx6es] Disclaimer: This is just one way to colorize a black and white photo in Photoshop. For more tutorials go to . … [Read more...] about Colorize a Black and White Photo in Photoshop
Fearless Full Sun Shooting
Shooting in the full midday sun can present creative challenges to any photographer. The high position and brightness of the sun projects an even downward cast, leaving an exposure void of the depth and dynamic range we're accustomed to in the long shadows of the morning and evening (golden) hours. While it may not always be convenient to schedule work at these ideal hours of the day, there are some ways to make the most of shooting in the broad spectrum of midday sun. http://youtu.be/FDuTPhGSp_I If you have any questions, please feel … [Read more...] about Fearless Full Sun Shooting
Remembering The Zone System for Better Black & Whites
As someone who learned photography in the Age of Analog, I often find myself cringing when I see those who have only ever known digital, under-utilizing the power of black and white with the quick click of the grayscale button. Their images can be so much more than the general gray blahness that just the unrefined desaturation command can do. In school, we were held to the standards of The Zone System; a method developed by Ansel Adams and Fred Archer. It was our constant benchmark of a dynamic exposure. And when one has a dynamic exposure, … [Read more...] about Remembering The Zone System for Better Black & Whites
Great Black and White Photography… Did You Miss the Hangout?
We know that not all of you could attend live, but boy did you miss a great Google Hangout this month. Hosts Rob Sylvan and Levi Sim were joined by Gerard Murphy from Mosaic and Bryan O'Neil Hughes from Adobe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuOLQva1iZs The guys covered great tips on how to make great looking black and white photos. You can watch the event here. I learned a ton of great things about Clarity, Curves, and Split Toning. Truly an enjoyable show. Be sure to join our community and follow on Google+ to find out about the next … [Read more...] about Great Black and White Photography… Did You Miss the Hangout?
Great Black & Whites Yield Great Color, Too
Nikon D800, 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens @ 170mm, f/9, 1/200s, ISO 200. As you'll see in the video below, the finishing touches for a black and white image often makes the color version of the same image look terrific, too. Personally, I think removing the distraction of color helps me make tonal adjustments with better judgement. Above you see the portrait from the video, and below is another example of a landscape whose black and white adjustments also made a color image I like. http://vimeo.com/86541001 Join Levi on and help him get … [Read more...] about Great Black & Whites Yield Great Color, Too
7 Steps to Great Black and Whites in Lightroom 5
Nikon D7000, 85mm f/1.8 D lens, f/5.6, 1/125s, ISO 400. Great black and white images require more than simply removing the color, and Lightroom 5 is a really powerful tool for making memorable black and white photographs. Take a look at this video to see the seven steps I take to make a terrific B&W image from any color image. Rob Sylvan and I will be doing a Google+ hangout on February 19th at 1pm Eastern (10am Pacific) to discuss how to finish great black and white images using Adobe Lightroom 5 (we'll also share some organizational … [Read more...] about 7 Steps to Great Black and Whites in Lightroom 5
One Easy Tip To Know Which Pictures Make Good Black and Whites
Nikon D800, 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII lens @155mm, f/10, 1/125s, ISO 200, finished in Lightroom 5 How do you know which images will look good as black white? I think just about any good photograph can be a good black and white. It's important to understand, however, that black and white doesn't just mean we remove color from the equation. Some colors are lighter or darker toned, and these inherent tones affect the final black and white image. Furthermore, ever since the earliest days of photography, different films and mediums have interpreted the … [Read more...] about One Easy Tip To Know Which Pictures Make Good Black and Whites
