Perfectly Clear has become our go-to tool for finishing our photographs, and we are excited to show you how you can maximize its power. Vanelli and Levi will be doing live demonstrations and answering your questions. We'll get in-depth with Perfectly Clear Complete's marvelous system for retouching all kinds of photographs from portraits to landscapes to nightscapes. Tune in Live and you'll get answers to your questions, plus enter a drawing for complimentary licenses of Perfectly Clear Complete. Tune in Live: Perfectly Clear Q&A with … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Perfectly Clear Q&A with Vanelli and Levi Sim
photography
Shooting on a Beach!
Happy Summer! It’s time to get away from the computer or out of the darkroom and enjoy the beautiful weather and shoot! Here are 3 tips on making great beach photographs. I shot these photographs at the end of the day, catching the very last bit of light, at the same location, yet achieving very different visual impacts. All of these photographs are shot without a tripod even though they are fairly long exposures. Exposing for the last light of the day. Start by using the in camera meter to read the light on the horizon. Make sure you are … [Read more...] about Shooting on a Beach!
Stories from the Set-CB Friedland’s Sea Caves
Vanelli travels across the country, talking to some of the top photographers in the field as they share their experiences while shooting on set. You'll soon learn that even season professionals encounter roadblocks during photo shoots. By staying calm under pressure, they rely on their skills to overcome these obstacles to capture an amazing shot. Sit back, relax and enjoy a Story from the Set. Travel, Landscape and Sea Cave photographer C.B. Friedland shares a story on how he first learned how to capture unique Sea Cave images. In this … [Read more...] about Stories from the Set-CB Friedland’s Sea Caves
Shooting and Seeing Art in Automobiles
I thought I would build on (pun intended) my last article Seeing Art in Architecture. It’s car show season here in the Midwest and shooting them can be quite fun, yet they pose some unique challenges. Many of the techniques and principles used in photographing architecture can be applied to shooting vehicles. Put Your Camera Down It can be overwhelming when you first walk onto the grounds of a car show, so many cars, so many shiny objects, and so many people. Walk around first and get the lay of the land. Are there groups of certain … [Read more...] about Shooting and Seeing Art in Automobiles
Live Webinar: Perfectly Clear Q&A with Vanelli and Levi Sim
Perfectly Clear has become our go-to tool for finishing our photographs, and we are excited to show you how you can maximize its power. Vanelli and Levi will be doing live demonstrations and answering your questions. We'll get in-depth with Perfectly Clear Complete's marvelous system for retouching all kinds of photographs from portraits to landscapes to nightscapes. Tune in Live and you'll get answers to your questions, plus enter a drawing for complimentary licenses of Perfectly Clear Complete. Tune in Live: Perfectly Clear Q&A with … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Perfectly Clear Q&A with Vanelli and Levi Sim
Live Webinar: Perfectly Clear Q&A with Vanelli and Levi Sim
Perfectly Clear has become our go-to tool for finishing our photographs, and we are excited to show you how you can maximize its power. Vanelli and Levi will be doing live demonstrations and answering your questions. We'll get in-depth with Perfectly Clear Complete's marvelous system for retouching all kinds of photographs from portraits to landscapes to nightscapes. Tune in Live and you'll get answers to your questions, plus enter a drawing for complimentary licenses of Perfectly Clear Complete. Tune in Live: Perfectly Clear Q&A with … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Perfectly Clear Q&A with Vanelli and Levi Sim
Focusing on Birds
I do not consider myself a “bird photographer”. I just happen to photograph birds now and then. Usually the birds are relatively big shore or sea birds, and occasionally eagles. Usually they are fast-moving. My cameras, a Fuji X-T2 and Fuji X-Pro2, serve me well for most of my photographic pursuits, but not necessarily for fast-moving birds. Perhaps many of you have experienced similar frustrations with your camera. The focusing works well for most of what you photograph, but at times it doesn’t. Focus Tracking Problems The problem I have … [Read more...] about Focusing on Birds
Newfoundland: A “Bucket List” Destination
I just returned from a couple of weeks on the island of Newfoundland. What an exciting photographic destination! It seems to have a little of everything, depending on your interests. Diverse wildlife, inspiring landscapes, urban flair, historical landmarks, enchanting people, and of course the icebergs you have been recently hearing about in the news. Definitely consider adding the island to your travel photography "bucket list". Icebergs Let's start with the question many of my friends have asked me. Why icebergs? Due to its location, … [Read more...] about Newfoundland: A “Bucket List” Destination
How to Light Close-up Flower Photos with a Flashlight
Summer is Here - Time for Flower Photography I just thought I'd share a quick little lighting technique for your flower photography. Now that spring is past and summer is here, it is almost mandatory that, as photographers, we document the emergence of dormant life in the form of flower portraits. I have some lovely Amaryllis, just now blooming at my windows, and these make great subjects for close-up photography... It is very easy to get great close-up shots with limited depth of field, soft pastel colors, and gorgeous semi-abstract … [Read more...] about How to Light Close-up Flower Photos with a Flashlight
Live Webinar: Perfectly Clear Q&A with Vanelli and Levi Sim
Perfectly Clear has become our go-to tool for finishing our photographs, and we are excited to show you how you can maximize its power. Vanelli and Levi will be doing live demonstrations and answering your questions. We'll get in-depth with Perfectly Clear Complete's marvelous system for retouching all kinds of photographs from portraits to landscapes to nightscapes. Tune in Live and you'll get answers to your questions, plus enter a drawing for complimentary licenses of Perfectly Clear Complete. Tune in Live: Perfectly Clear Q&A with … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Perfectly Clear Q&A with Vanelli and Levi Sim
Create Killer Catchlights
Experimenting with different lighting setups can transform a simple image into a creative portrait. It’s not hard to experiment. If you don’t like the look, keep experimenting until you find one you love. Here’re two examples on how to add killer catchlights to a portrait that will help jumpstart your creativity. Ring Light A ring light adds unique lighting to a portrait. You place the lens through the middle of the light, causing the light to come from the same plane as the lens. This produces very few shadows and a unique catch light. … [Read more...] about Create Killer Catchlights
Shooting and Seeing Art in Architecture
Art is all around us. Sometimes we use our cameras to create art from what we see instead of merely capturing moments. Here are a few suggestions to help you see the art in architecture the next time you head out to shoot it. Put your camera down Too many times we get caught up in the moment and just start shooting everything and anything that is in front of us. When you find an interesting building you want to shoot, stop, put the camera down and look. Look up at the top of the building; does it create interesting shapes against the sky? … [Read more...] about Shooting and Seeing Art in Architecture
Photography Marketing: Is an Art Fair for You?
Art fairs are a terrific way for potential customers to view your work up close and personal. However, before jumping into this type of self-marketing scenario, there are a number of variables you should consider before committing to an art fair. Are you getting your work out there? We all have thousands of images these days. Hopefully, you’re starting to print them and put them in books or albums so they don’t get lost as time passes; the family vacations, the momentous events and even just the silly and fun family photos that are lurking … [Read more...] about Photography Marketing: Is an Art Fair for You?
Problem Solving | Photofocus Podcast | June 16th, 2017
Levi and Pepper talk about the upcoming full eclipse of the sun and some ideas to make the opportunity unique to you. We also take a minute to think about basing a photo business on a single platform -- which might suddenly change! Find Levi: www.levisim.com twitter.com/photolevi Find Pepper: www.panoramanetwork.com twitter.com/ronpepper Have suggestions or questions to be used on the show? Email us here: -Levi Sim: [email protected] -Ron Pepper: [email protected] Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Don’t … [Read more...] about Problem Solving | Photofocus Podcast | June 16th, 2017
Live Webinar: Mastering Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk
Portrait retouching Master, Kristina Sherk, is joining us for this webinar to help you learn the best techniques for portrait retouching. She'll show us the principles and demonstrate the tools. We'll get in depth with Perfectly Clear Complete's marvelous system for retouching portraits. Tune in Live and you'll get answers to your questions and cases from Kristina herself, plus enter a drawing for complimentary licenses of Perfectly Clear Complete. Tune in Live: Mastering Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk Monday, June 19th, 2017 at … [Read more...] about Live Webinar: Mastering Portrait Retouching with Kristina Sherk
Gear Review: EditorsKeys Lightroom Shortcuts Keyboard
Lightroom has a million and a half functions, and most of them have keyboard shortcuts. I know it sounds silly to say moving your mouse or pen around the screen to click on things is slow, but keyboard shortcuts make your workflow much faster. I've been using Lightroom for eight years, and I continue to learn new shortcuts that make it faster to get my work done. In the ten minutes, I counted over 20 shortcuts I used to import and edit a few pictures. You'll find a The trouble is, learning all these shortcuts at once is daunting and impossible … [Read more...] about Gear Review: EditorsKeys Lightroom Shortcuts Keyboard
History of Photography: The Carte-de-Visite
In 1854, a photographer by the name of André Disdéri patented a new take on the collodion process called the Carte-de-Visite (or Carte, for short). Though they could be a singular image, Cartes were often multiple exposures taken onto a single sheet of paper, creating almost a collage effect. A multi-lens camera had tubular lenses (i.e. no shutter) so the different focal lengths could be covered and uncovered for exposures (allowing different poses) but all the exposures fell onto the same wet plate. The images could be cut apart for individual … [Read more...] about History of Photography: The Carte-de-Visite
Visiting the National Parks | The Traveling Photographer
The National Parks in the United States provide excellent opportunities for stunning landscape, wildlife, nature photography, and Americana. Here are a few travel tips for those unfamiliar with our parks, and those in need of a refresher. Where and When Try to plan as far ahead as you can. Inside the parks accommodations and campgrounds typically book quickly and early, particularly for the popular parks in the busy seasons. I booked Grand Canyon nearly 13 months out, prior to my last visit, to get the room I wanted in October. If the … [Read more...] about Visiting the National Parks | The Traveling Photographer
Lightroom Live: Adobe Portfolio, Part Deux with Al Rossin
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, 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, June 12th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: Adobe Portfolio, Part Deux with Al Rossin
Lightroom Live: Adobe Portfolio, Part Deux with Al Rossin
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, 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, June 12th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2 pm in the Virgin Islands. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: Adobe Portfolio, Part Deux with Al Rossin
The Platypod Party: Embracing Low-Angle Photography
Dan Bailey and Karen Hutton, Fujifilm X Team Photographers, jumping for joy in Florida Fuji XT 2, 10-24mm f 4 lens, ISO 800, f 4, 1/8000, Fuji X 500 flash on High Speed Sync. Platypod has just introduced a new model of their awesome camera support system, the Platypod Ultra. I recently had the opportunity to try it out while I was in Florida. Three “X” Team photographers; Dan Bailey, Karen Hutton, and I, were invited to the Fuji sales meeting to give some inspirational presentations and hands-on-seminars to the sales team. All the Fuji … [Read more...] about The Platypod Party: Embracing Low-Angle Photography
The Mind Your Own Business Podcast | Photofocus Podcast May 12, 2017
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/the-mind-your-own-business-podcast-photofocus-podcast-may-12-2017 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Don't forget to post a review on iTunes. In this episode, we chat with celebrity wedding photographers Bob and Dawn Davis about: Trends within the wedding and portrait industry Educating your clients The value of encouraging physical prints Understanding the importance of sharing your images with related wedding vendors Cultivating relationships with wedding vendors How to … [Read more...] about The Mind Your Own Business Podcast | Photofocus Podcast May 12, 2017
Tips to Getting More Portrait Clients
How do you get more clients if you don't have many, to begin with? It's a "chicken or the egg" conundrum, and a tough spot that many portrait photographers find themselves in early on in their careers. But take heart: even if your social proof and marketing dollars are short, there are still ways you can get spread the word about your business. While these strategies are simple, as with most things business related they do take time. But these are absolutely worth it in the long run. Build Relationships With Other Businesses That Share Your … [Read more...] about Tips to Getting More Portrait Clients
The Traveling Photographer: Photographing the Unknown
Travel photography, by its nature, is full of unknowns and new experiences. It crosses many genres of photography such as street, portrait, landscape, nature, wildlife, food, and architecture. Differing skills and equipment may be necessary to get the photos you envision taking while on your trip, depending on circumstances. It can be overwhelming to someone just getting started in photography, and even at times for those of us who have done it for a while. Recently I found myself embarking on such a new adventure, to photograph … [Read more...] about The Traveling Photographer: Photographing the Unknown
10 Ways to Protect Your Camera Memory Cards
Let's talk memory cards. We have SD cards, CF cards, SSD cards, CFast cards and many options within those to choose from. We all have them, need them and use them. But what does it all mean? Let's discuss taking care of our cards and preventing potential problems that can and will happen to all of us. Here are ten practical tips 1. Keep your camera up to date. It seems like firmware updates are happening more and more often. This can affect the way your camera talks to your memory card. Even memory cards nowadays can have firmware updates … [Read more...] about 10 Ways to Protect Your Camera Memory Cards
Getting Out of Your Photography Comfort Zone: A Nature Photographer Wanders into a Studio
I made it a goal this year to learn something way outside of my photography comfort zone of the great outdoors. After my first plan for a project exploring "underwater fine art nude food photography" fell through (apparently, Thanksgiving dinner was not the place to jump-start this idea), I decided to take a workshop on studio model photography. Yes, that is correct. Me. Indoors. In a studio. With models. Gasp... Let's face it, I am a lot more comfortable waist deep in a swamp filled with ‘gators than in a studio! Fortunately, a few weeks … [Read more...] about Getting Out of Your Photography Comfort Zone: A Nature Photographer Wanders into a Studio
Where to Store Your Model Release Forms
Recently I wrote about how Digital model or property release forms have made it easy for photographers to always have a release handy. Now the next step is where to store the forms. Here’s how to organize and store the forms to keep them safe and easily accessible. Storing Digital Release Forms Most digital release form applications have the ability to email both the photographer and model a PDF of the release. It’s tempting to keep this in your inbox or in the application. A better solution is to create a “Model Release” subfolder in the … [Read more...] about Where to Store Your Model Release Forms
Mirrorless Camera Maniac: Instantly Magnify Your Tripod
Here I go again, touting the advantages of mirrorless cameras. The thing is if you're into landscape and nature photography then you've always been encouraged to carry the biggest tripod you can carry. This is because big heavy cameras sitting atop spindly tripod legs are prone to wobbling and vibration making blurring pictures at long shutter speeds. Bigger diameter tripod legs offer more rigidity and stability, making not only sharper photographs without wiggle, but also a safer platform to keep your camera from tipping over. But here are two … [Read more...] about Mirrorless Camera Maniac: Instantly Magnify Your Tripod
Live Q&A: Perfectly Clear Complete Version 3
We think Perfectly Clear Complete's latest version 3 is pretty terrific software. It helps you make your pictures look their best faster and with greater finesse than other tools, and it integrates seamlessly with your workflow. It's a powerful tool for colors and tone, and it does wonders on nature and people pictures alike. In this webinar, Levi Sim and Robert Vanelli will be demonstrating and answering all your questions. Levi and Vanelli use Perfectly Clear Complete daily in their portrait and nature work. They'll show you how to finesse … [Read more...] about Live Q&A: Perfectly Clear Complete Version 3
Are Your Photos Getting the “Blurts”?
One of the ultimate compliments for a photo is when it makes someone just blurt out a one syllable word or sound. "Wow", "ooh", "awww", "damn", "whoa", "spoon"... you get the idea. The measure of a photo's success isn't if it followed all the "rules", it's whether it makes the viewer feel something. If you get a spontaneous exclamation out of your viewer, they have felt something! If you aren't getting these "blurts" about your work, using these concepts and techniques will make an instant impact on your creative process for … [Read more...] about Are Your Photos Getting the “Blurts”?
