You need great light to direct attention to your subjects and help your photos appear natural. If you want to make great light with flashes, you need gels. Gels simply color your flash's light which allows you to match the flash color to the light in a room. When the light from the flash doesn't match the ambient light, it stands out and looks like it was flashed. You'll make more natural-looking photos if you use gels. I recently made a photo for a pro bono ad in a local magazine. This fellow has started a food bank in town, and the local … [Read more...] about Want Natural-Looking Light? Use Gels.
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Photographer of the Day: Tomas Salinka
Category: Children Photograph: “Eimi music lover” by Tomas Salinka Props and background gives this photo character, but Tomas use of a spotlight is what adds drama to the image. Originally shared with the Photofocus Flickr community right here. To learn how your work can be featured on the Photofocus, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Tomas Salinka
Two New Sigma Art Lenses
At Photokina 2016, Sigma announced two new additions to their globally renowned ART series of DSLR lenses. 12-24mm f/4.0 DG HSM | A ultra1wide angle zoom lens for Canon, Nikon & Sigma full frame DSLR 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A short telephoto portrait lens for Canon, Nikon & Sigma full frame DSLR 12-24mm f/4.0 DG HSM | Art Architectural, interior, landscape and nature photographers will love this Art version of Sigmas venerable 12-24mm ultra-wide zoom lens. This beauty promises a significant update to the previous … [Read more...] about Two New Sigma Art Lenses
Live: Mastering Photos for Mac Extensions with Mykii Liu and Richard Harrington
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, 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 two copies of Athentech's new extensions for Photos for Mac. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Tuesday, September 20th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2:30 pm in Newfoundland. Check here and it'll show your local … [Read more...] about Live: Mastering Photos for Mac Extensions with Mykii Liu and Richard Harrington
Live: Mastering Photos for Mac Extensions with Mykii Liu and Richard Harrington
You gotta join us live for our next Live Webinar, 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 two copies of Athentech's new extensions for Photos for Mac. Plus you never know what else. We kick off Tuesday, September 20th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2:30 pm in Newfoundland. Check here and it'll show your local … [Read more...] about Live: Mastering Photos for Mac Extensions with Mykii Liu and Richard Harrington
Simple Triptych in Photoshop
A triptych is three images that share a common theme displayed as a single piece. In this video I'll be making the simplest form of this by displaying three images in equally sized and arranged rectangles. In this video I'll cover; Opening multiple images from Bridge Changing the units of measurement with the Ruler The New Guide Layout in Photoshop CC Copying images and the keyboard shortcuts The Paste Into command Resizing Adding a stroke Adding a drop shadow Copying layer styles Creating a triptych with … [Read more...] about Simple Triptych in Photoshop
Lightroom Live: 2 Minute Miracles with Nicolesy
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 Thursday, September 8th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2:30 pm in Newfoundland. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: 2 Minute Miracles with Nicolesy
Good Cropping = Good Service
Modern headshots are often horizontal and cropped close, leaving the top of the head out of the frame. I prefer this style and am always cutting off the top of the head. It makes sense to me to put the eyes in the upper third of the frame and on a horizontal portrait that leaves little room for excess hair. Peter Hurley discusses this extensively in his book. However, sometimes my modern artistic vision clashes with my client's needs. If my client doesn't get what they need from our shoot, then no matter how good the pictures are, I've given … [Read more...] about Good Cropping = Good Service
Photographer of the Day: Sohail Karmani
Category: Portraits Photographer: Sohail Karmani "Street Portrait in Navigli" Photographer of the Day, Sohail Karmani, takes us to Italy and the streets of Navigli near Milan, where he made the photograph featured here. The woman's eyes are captivating, arresting our attention. The photo's blurred background colors compliment her eyes as well. The short depth of focus in the image makes her face compelling. The photo was made with an Olympus E-M1 with a Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f/1.2 lens. His exposure was ISO: 100, 1/125th @ … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Sohail Karmani
Lightroom Live: 2 Minute Miracles with Nicolesy
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 Thursday, September 8th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2:30 pm in Newfoundland. Check out the YouTube event here and it'll show your … [Read more...] about Lightroom Live: 2 Minute Miracles with Nicolesy
New Canon 5D Mark IV: Canon Announces New Features
Canon has announced the new 5D Mark IV, and it's got some terrific new features. Let's first take a look at the official launch video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Z9089048wk What New Gear Was Announced Here's a list of all the new gear that was announced (it's already on sale too). Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Camera (Body Only) Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Camera with 24-105mm f/4L II Lens Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Camera with 24-70mm f/4L Lens Canon BG-E20 Battery Grip for EOS 5D Mark IV Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM … [Read more...] about New Canon 5D Mark IV: Canon Announces New Features
Live: Modern Sports Portraits with Vanelli
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 Friday, August 19th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2:30 pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: … [Read more...] about Live: Modern Sports Portraits with Vanelli
Live: Modern Sports Portraits with Vanelli
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 Friday, August 19th at 1:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 pm Central, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:00 am Pacific. 2:30 pm in Newfoundland. RSVP here and it'll show your local time. This Month: … [Read more...] about Live: Modern Sports Portraits with Vanelli
Easier Masking with Photoshop’s New Select & Mask Taskspace
Photoshop has a new update (CC2015.5) and it includes a remarkable new selection tool interface called the Select and Mask Taskspace. Selections and masks allow you to isolate your subject from the rest of a photo and are a fun way to create composites or make adjustments to only that portion of the picture. But, creating selections around things like hair and fur can be difficult. The new tools help make it a lot easier. I plan to use this tool for removing a person from the background, which I frequently need to do for the Steve Jobs … [Read more...] about Easier Masking with Photoshop’s New Select & Mask Taskspace
Photographer of the Day: Oleh Shkurlei
Category: Children Photograph: “Early bird and the night owl” by Oleh Shkurlei Beautiful candid shot showing love and emotion. The younger of the two is ready to get up and play but is content with her stuff animal as she enjoys a warm embrace from her big sister. Originally shared with the Photofocus Flickr community right here. To learn how your work can be featured on the Photofocus, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Oleh Shkurlei
Go Make A Panorama
You should make a lot more panoramic photographs. It's a great way to capture a larger view of the world, and you don't need to buy a new lens. In fact, you'll find that a panorama gives a better view than simply using a wide angle lens because the objects far away are not diminished as much as they are with a wide angle lens. There are many options for stitching the pieces of the panorama together. For my work, I've found Lightroom is usually adequate, and Photoshop does it a little better. Those who make a living selling panoramas often … [Read more...] about Go Make A Panorama
“Street Photography: First Steps and Beyond” by Valerie Jardin
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
Photographer of the Day: Steven Clint Brookes
Category: Children Photograph: “Captivating” by Steven Clint Brookes Great use of window light and shadow play helps sets the mood for this photo. Gregory's aperture choice, f/3.2, applied a shallow depth of field giving the overall image a soft and pleasing feel. Originally shared with the Photofocus Flickr community right here. To learn how your work can be featured on the Photofocus, please read this article. … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Steven Clint Brookes
Photographer of the Day: Brian Smith
Category: Portraits Photographer: Brian Smith "Cuban Boxer" I am guest curating today's portrait photographer of the day for Brian Smith who is a bit under the weather. Brian is the curator for Photofocus in the portrait category. Since I'm filling in I believe it's only appropriate to feature Brian himself. His career is making one unbelievable portrait after another from celebrities to burlesque to naked golfers to business people to political figures including a Pulitzer prize winner. Today, Brian takes us to Ismael Salas' Boxing … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Brian Smith
Fantasy Portrait: Alien Queen part 2
Part 1 of the Alien Queen tutorial showed how to mirror the thin part of her face and add two more closed eyes with fabulous lashes. No queen is complete without a crown and a golden background. Welcome to part 2. Extra alien-ness While the result from part 1 is alien, I decided to get rid of her ears and shoulders. I used a layer mask to hide them. Here's my starting point. ` Eliminating her shoulders lengthens her neck adds to the otherworldly look. More room to work... The current version doesn't have enough room around Arra for a … [Read more...] about Fantasy Portrait: Alien Queen part 2
Professional Retouching: Principles & Practices with Kristina Sherk
Portraits are not only the most important pictures you make, but they can also be the most profitable. As such, portraits deserve your best effort at a perfect finish, and this webinar will help you learn the principles and best methods for helping people look their best in pictures. Kristina Sherk (www.sharkpixel.com) joins us this month from Washington, D.C. She's a photographer and retoucher with years of experience retouching, and almost as many years teaching. This is your chance to tune in Live with Kristina and learn the techniques she … [Read more...] about Professional Retouching: Principles & Practices with Kristina Sherk
Photographer of the Day: Sohail Karmani
Category: Portraits Photographer: Sohail Karmani "Camel Herder" Photofocus photographer of the day is Sohail Karmani. His rich black and white study of a camel driver finishing a cigarette is a powerful statement about living in a desert environment. The driver's eyes show wisdom garnered over years. There is a steeliness in them, a depth that invites the viewer to want to know more. This is a strong, story based image. I wish there was an article to tell me more about this man. Originally shared with the Photofocus Flickr community … [Read more...] about Photographer of the Day: Sohail Karmani
3 Simple Tips for Beautiful Outdoor Portraits
Tip 1: Making sure you have light You can’t take a good portrait without light. The easiest light to work with is natural light; but shooting in direct sunlight usually produces harsh and unflattering photos. Here’s the first tip: look for closed or open shade around a few hours after sunrise or before sunset. Closed shade is normally found under an overhang or under a tree. Open shade is when a building or something large is blocking the sun. If you look up and see the sky, you are in open shade. If you can’t see the sky, you’re in closed … [Read more...] about 3 Simple Tips for Beautiful Outdoor Portraits
Professional Retouching: Principles & Practices with Kristina Sherk
Portraits are not only the most important pictures you make, but they can also be the most profitable. As such, portraits deserve your best effort at a perfect finish, and this webinar will help you learn the principles and best methods for helping people look their best in pictures. Kristina Sherk (www.sharkpixel.com) joins us this month from Washington, D.C. She's a photographer and retoucher with years of experience retouching, and almost as many years teaching. This is your chance to tune in Live with Kristina and learn the techniques … [Read more...] about Professional Retouching: Principles & Practices with Kristina Sherk
Fantasy Portrait: The Alien Queen part 1
Science fiction movies are all that right now... Star Wars, Star Trek, the Marvel universe and DC comics all have at least one exotic character. I thought it might be fun to create one here on the Photofocus blog. Best thing is, you can use any portrait you've made where the subject is facing the camera. Open the image in Photoshop and play along. Thin & thick of of a face Unless your subject is a super model, one side of the face will be thicker and one will be thinner. Asymmetry is what being human is all about. As a rule of thumb, … [Read more...] about Fantasy Portrait: The Alien Queen part 1
How to Use Manual Focus Lenses
My first digital camera was a Nikon D90, and, as with the other 23 changeable lens cameras I've owned since, it was intended for autofocus. You're just supposed to put the focus point where you want to focus and let the lens and the camera do the work. This usually works well, unless it's too dark or your lens is manual focus only. I used to be scared of soft focus when using manual focus lenses, and I was jealous of the marvelous options in manual focus lenses, like terrific wide angles from Rokinon/Samyang that are both sharp and … [Read more...] about How to Use Manual Focus Lenses
Photographer of the Day: Kevin Thornhill “The Starlet”
Category: Portraits Photograph: by Kevin Thornhill 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: Kevin Thornhill “The Starlet”
Truly Professional Wedding Photography Workflow with William Innes
Weddings are the grandest event most people will personally host in their lifetime, and a photographer's job is to make sure it is remembered vividly. William Innes joins us this month to show us how to professionally handle these momentous events. William is a master of his craft, a Lumix Luminary, and exactly the kind of person you'd want to have at the most important event of your life. We're excited to have him with us, and you're going to learn loads from a real pro. William Innes, is the principal photographer of William Innes … [Read more...] about Truly Professional Wedding Photography Workflow with William Innes
Photographer of the Day: Nicolas Winspeare “Taxi Driver”
Category: Portraits Photograph: by Nicolas Winspeare 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: Nicolas Winspeare “Taxi Driver”
Photographer of the Day: Fitz Crittle “Loosen Things Up”
Category: Portraits Photograph: by Fitz Crittle 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: Fitz Crittle “Loosen Things Up”
