Countless Creative Possibilities with Analog Efex Pro 2
Analog Efex Pro 2 Google recently released an update (15th May, 2014) to its Analog Efex Pro with Analog Efex Pro 2 which includes lots of new features including new Cameras and Presets. A few of the latest features that got my attention were the: Discover Creative Ways to use Analog Efex Pro 2 Over on their YouTube channel NikCollectionLessons they have showcased some of the brand new features that make creating gorgeous images brilliantly easy. These videos will not only get you excited about what you can create...
Photoshop Update – Focus Mask
Focus Mask Adobe released a sneak peak at their upcoming feature in the Photoshop CC update coming soon, its Focus Masks. Yes that's correct, we will now be able to select the pixels that are focused by using this upcoming addition to Photoshop CC. Just check out this video which gives a sneak peak into this awesome feature.
3 Easy ways to Direct the Viewer’s Eye with Lightroom
What makes a photo more engaging? Interesting subject? Great Composition? Yes, although these factors play an important role in creating a great image one key factor is directing your viewers eye to parts of the image and having them look around inside the image. Getting their eye to wonder. Take a look at the following image, what do you see first? You may not realise this but your eye went to the brightest part of the image first and then wondered around the image. This is a known fact that our eyes always go to the brightest part of a photo first. So we can utilise this subliminally and...
HDR in Lightroom
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and in photography this is quite a popular way to create an image that comes close to what we see with our eyes. Its something that is not possible straight out of the camera although some of the newer cameras now come with this feature (at least they try to). Typically in HDR image you take an at least 3 different exposures of the same image; under exposed image by 2 stops (-2), normal exposure (0) and over exposed image by 2 stops (+2). Once you've captured this image you can merge these three images using software like: Photomatix Pro, Adobe Photoshop and...
Why should I shoot in RAW?
Why should I shoot in RAW? This is a question people often ask, especially newbies, people who are just starting off in photography. As soon as pick up a digital camera you realise quickly that you can almost shoot more than twice as many JPEG images as you can RAW images on the same card. So what's the advantage of shooting RAW? When ever I get asked this question my answer is simple; a RAW file is like a CUBE which is three dimensional width x height x depth where as if you take a thin slice of a cube you get a RECTANGLE with width x height (very tiny depth), this is a JPEG. As the cube...
Google+ Themes
If you are like me and love to participate in Google Plus photography themes from B&W to Macro and anything in between then you must know the painful challenge that you face. The problem is that you can't copy paste the Curator theme text from one post to another, if you do Google+ doesn't translate the +Mentions to notify people that curate that theme. #Hashtags work file and Google+ will translate them automatically. And I don't think that Google+ will allow the ability to easily +Mention people using Copy+Paste because it notifies the individual. Imagine getting 100s or 1000s of...
What is your crash plan?
You love taking pictures but do you backup! What is your strategy for making sure your treasured and priceless images are safe? Well most people don't think about this at all or think but never act. There are many discussions and posts on the web that explain the pros and cons of backup strategies and solutions. And I am going to talk about them as well...not!! What I want to share are some simple practices that will help secure your photos. Backing up to external drive This is probably the most easiest and inexpensive way to backup your photo. Buy a big enough external USB drive like 1Tb...
Episode 1 – Getting Started with Lightroom Mobile
Lightroom Mobile for iPad Adobe launched Lightroom Mobile earlier this month which is only available for iPad at the moment but will extend to Android devices. In this first episode of Photo Insomnia we take a look at how this new app will help you edit your photos on your iPad. Started playing with this new mobile version of Lightroom for iPad only. The app is Free but you need an Adobe CC Subscription to be able to use it. So stop here if you don't have the subscription and are not interested in Subscription model licensing. First thoughts: Wow, took them (Adobe) so long to come up with...
Lightroom White Balance Presets for JPEG shooters
Although I'm pro shooting in RAW, I do accept that not everybody feels comfortable shooting RAW images and doesn't have or want to spend the time processing their RAW images. Many of us therefore shoot in JPEG, even some pros. JPEG shooting is popular amongst sports photographers as this gives you many more frames when shooting in burst mode. Don't mean to brag but my Canon 7D shoots 8 frames per second and with the latest firmware v2.0 can shoot continuously 25 RAW images but if shooting JPEG it can go for 130 images before the buffer fills up and the frames per second slows down. This is...
Breaking the Rules – Dead Centre
Rules are meant to be broken. Photography should not be controlled by the rules but be based on the feeling that it creates. Traditional photographers will still tell you that rules should be followed. However, not having learnt things the traditional way but more by practice and reading online I am a true believer in creating art that appeals to people. If you like it then don't worry about it. Last month in Auckland I took the ferry over to Davenport to shoot the city Skyline. Unfortunately there were no clouds in the sky but clear blue skies. So I started shooting as the sun was setting...