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Reviews and Blog Articles
Lightroom Preset – Golden Hour
I was looking for a really warm and bright Lightroom to bring out the classic “golden hour” look in some photos taken in normal daylight. Unhappy with any of the presets that I had installed, I created my own that takes the look to the extreme. This preset will in many cases take the brightness up too far, so if things seem overblown experiment with taking down the brightness followed by the exposure if necessary. [Continue Reading the Full Article]
AlienBees Honeycomb Grids
I received a set of AlienBees Honeycomb Grid filters a couple weeks ago along with a 7-inch reflector that they snap into. I purchased a kit consisting of 10, 20, 30, and 40 degree sizes and set them up for a quick test shoot to see how they compared. Below are the resulting images that demonstrate the effect of honeycomb grids. I’m sharing these pictures for the purpose of showing other photographers how honeycomb grids effect the light from a distance of approximately 10 feet.
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Lightroom Black and White Preset Download
Recently I did a series of artistic black and white photographs and was in need of a Lightroom preset that would work well on a black background. I wasn’t able to find any existing presets in my pretty large collection, so I created my own.
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What Photographers Look For in Models
Today I spent a significant amount of time browsing ModelMayhem.com in search of a model in the Orlando area for a future shoot. It’s been just over a year since I joined Model Mayhem and because the site features a lot of amateur models I have had to develop some techniques to figure out which girls are the best ones to work with. This article describes those techniques and should be helpful for photographers seeking models, and for models looking to improve their chances of getting booked by a photographer online. [Continue Reading the Full Article]
500px.com Review and Promo Code
500px.com is best described as both a place where a photographer can host their portfolio and as a place where photographers can browse and comment on other artist’s photographs. They offer a combination of features that you may have seen across other sites like Flickr, Vi.sualize.us, or 1x.com. The difference between those other sites and 500px.com is that 500px has nearly mastered the essential features that I am looking for as a photographer wanting to share my work and explore the work of other photographers.
Their service opened to the general public in 2009 after several years of conceptualization. Since that time they have gained nearly 50,000 members and currently receive around 1.4 million visits each month. They have built a community that is filled with talented artists, which in return generates a large amount of traffic. Most of that traffic is from fellow photographers and those who are interested in viewing beautiful work. A small fraction of the viewers may be potential future clients, which is one of the reasons 500px.com receives a recommendation at the end of this review.
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How to Age Photos in Photoshop
I recently had an opportunity to shoot several girls for some pinup style photos, and I decided to age the photos through some simple Photoshop methods. While experimenting with different effects I think that I came up with an easy method that quickly gives an antique look to your photos with minimal effort. Step 1… [Continue Reading the Full Article]
How Models can Find Free Photographers
As a photographer I am constantly seeking new female talent to model for me, and I have used a variety of online resources to scout for local girls. This article discuses some of those websites (ModelMayhem.com, Facebook.com, OneModelPlace.com, MySpace.com, and iStudio.com) as well as some advice for ways for models to connect with photographers offline.… [Continue Reading the Full Article]
Shooting on a Budget
I have had some requests from other photographers looking to invest in speedlite equipment for the first time. I remember being in the same situation not long ago, and spending hours researching all of the possibilities. If I had to do it all over again I could have probably saved myself both time and money knowing what I do today. That’s why I’m writing this article, which will highlight some of the best photographic equipment you can get on a small budget.
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Photo Post Production Workflow
In this article I am documenting my post production worfklow involving Adobe Lightroom, Portrait Professional, and Adobe Photoshop. The amount of time needed to edit a photo using all 3 of these software solutions is significant, so I tend to only complete all 3 steps with only my top picks from each shoot. Normally I… [Continue Reading the Full Article]
Ice Queen Lightroom Workflow
This video is a demonstration of how I used Adobe Lightroom to edit images from the Ice Queen photo shoot. Check out the before and after comparison to see how much of a difference there is between what you see in the camera and what ends up being the final result.
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PBL Photo Studio 40″ Umbrella Softbox Review
If you are in the market for a softbox, but you don’t want to deal with the setup and teardown process associated with them, then I suggest to you the PBL Photo Studio 40″ Umbrella Softbox. This umbrella comes with a permamently attached material used to diffuse the light. The interior of the umbrella has a reflective material (somewhere between silver and white) that bounces the flash back towards the light source, diffusing it in the process. As the light exits the umbrella it passes through material that further softens the light. The result is nice soft shadows in a very portable package.
As I mentioned in the first sentence in this review, the major benefit of the PBL Photo Studio Umbrella Softbox is that it is very easy to set up. I can have it out of the carrying case/sleeve and set up on a light stand in a matter of just a few seconds. It goes up nearly as fast as a normal light umbrella, the only difference being that you will need to tighten a strap around your speedlight or studio light to prevent light from leaking out around the middle. The build quality of the product is about average. The center rod seems to be made of a pretty sturdy metal that should stand up to a little abuse when attaching it to your stand. The umbrella ribs are capped off by some blunt plastic bits, which is a wise idea since umbrellas have nearly taken my eye out on a few occasions.
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Yongnuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger
The Yonguo RF-602 has become a standard item for many strobist photographers looking for an affordable method to detach their speedlights from their camera hotshoes. It is perhaps the cheapest, yet still dependable, way to trigger your flashes reliably without having to mess with any settings. I’ve demonstrated this product at a couple workshops that I’ve hosted, and it’s clear that everyone loves them. I have been using them for all of my speedlight photography for the past year and I couldn’t be happier with their performance.
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