Sun? Or is it Fire? I am told our last element should be “Fire” But ironically while I was creating this course for you guys there was a fire ban here in Oregon. They were putting up signs on the beach while we were shooting. So I decided, Sun was more appropriate for our final element. Sun can be your friend or your enemy. It is good practice to learn how to work with it.
This week our theme is, Earth. It can often be the element that I forget but it can be essential to telling the complete story of the beach. When I think of “earth” I think of the sand, sea grass, driftwood etc. I focus on the details and tell the story of the day at the beach. In this video I will share with you guys a few samples of those details. I will edit a photo taken in driftwood and seagrass. I will show you how to increase the green tones, add a glow and a lens blur. I will also show you how to import your own sky texture to finish off the photo.
Water is, of course, one of the most important elements of the beach. My favorite part of taking water shots is getting a beautiful reflection to balance out my photo. I love to look for a spot in the sand that captures a reflection. One important part to not forget, If you are replacing a sky and your photo is also showcasing a reflection you need to make sure you add that same sky into the reflection. So let’s do it. For this video, I am going to share a few tips about water and finding those reflections. I will also edit a photo in ON1 Photo Raw replacing a sky and show you how to include it in the reflection.
In this video I’ll show how I clean my equipment after each and every trip. From lenses and camera bodies to tripods and filters I’ll show you how to keep your gear in top notch condition. Links to the cleaning products I showcase from the Residual Oil Remover to the sensor light are below.
Our first element is Wind. Especially on the Oregon Coast, wind can be an element that can be your friend or your enemy. Finding ways to make the wind work for you and how to work around it will help you get amazing shots even under difficult conditions. While I can’t magically make it go away, I will share a few tips on how to handle your gear and clients to ensure that you get your best results. In ON1 Photo Raw I will show you guys how to enhance the colors in a photo, along with skin smoothing and a sky enhancement.
Don’t forget to enter my giveaway this month!
In this video, we explore a minimalist setup and search for the best subjects in a chaotic after-thunderstorm garden scenario. The light is fading and the wind is picking up, so what can a macro photographer do? Of all the potential points of interest, two get explored and we end up with decent images despite the chaos.
In this video I talk about developing your creative vision by taking some time to connect with your subject. To do that I share some insights as well as a few ‘behind the image’ stories to illustrate the principles I’m highlighting.
In this second video with Don Komarechka as a guest coach for ON1 Plus, we dive into the creative potential of macro photography with an assortment of RAW images and the story that created them, and how to push further in post-processing.
I’ve had a lot of questions lately about what tools to use when removing distractions in Photo RAW 2018. In this video I show you how and when to effectively use the Perfect Eraser, Clone and Healing brushes to remove distractions from your raw images. I’ll also talk a bit about using these tools with a Wacom tablet and how to maximize your system’s performance when using these tools.
If you haven’t used the new Import engine in Photo RAW 2018 you really should check it out. It automates and streamlines a lot of great digital asset management tools in one place. In this video I show how I use Import to automatically rename, back-up, organize and add metadata to my files quickly and easily.
