New: Photographer’s Guide to Intimate Photo Sessions

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• New: Photographer’s Guide to Intimate Photo Sessions
• Interesting Photo of the Day: 37,000 Flags Planted in Boston Common for Memorial Day
• Is a Photography Workshop Right for You?
• How to do Vintage Black & White Tones for Engagement Photos (Video)

New: Photographer’s Guide to Intimate Photo Sessions Posted: 24 May 2014 05:09 PM PDT Most photo shoots involve a whole lot of trial and error. However, the majority of educational resources available for photographers omit the details. A new photography eBook aims to take aspiring boudoir photographers through the entire process of a shoot. We were able to arrange a 33% discount for our readers which ends soon. Simply remember to use the discount code PICTURECORRECT at checkout. Found here: Successful Photo Shoots New: Successful Intimate Photo Sessions (Click to Learn More) In this digital resource, photographer Ed Verosky aims to leave nothing out of the intimate photo shoot process. Rather than just show off his best work, he wants to give readers a look at the other side by including all of his unedited images along with his adjusted selections and final favorites. He discusses four of his photo shoots with female models, going over every sequence and specific selections. From concept, to model direction, to final edits, the eBook is meant to give you a complete behind-the-scenes look at what happens during a professional boudoir or nude shoot, including the real-life mistakes, challenges, and troubleshooting methods. Some of the many details covered include (90 pages): Editorial Boudoir Shoot Artistic Nude Shoot 1979 Style Glamour Shoot Shoot Sequences Full Contact Sheets Posing Direction Dialog Camera Settings Gear Choices Lighting Setups Editing Specifics Lightroom & Photoshop Adjustments Final Thoughts & Selections Pages from Successful Photo Shoots (Click to See More) Ed Verosky is a professional photographer and educator based in New York City. He wrote this eBook with the hope of giving other photographers an open and honest look at the ups and downs that are a natural part of any photo shoot. Please note: This eBook contains some artistic nudity. How to get a discounted copy this week: Our readers can receive 33% off for a short time. Simply remember to use the discount code PICTURECORRECT at checkout. The guide comes in PDF format that can be read on computers, phones and most tablets. Deal found here: Successful Photo Shoots – How to Get Your Best Shots Go to full article: New: Photographer’s Guide to Intimate Photo Sessions What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+ Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Interesting Photo of the Day: 37,000 Flags Planted in Boston Common for Memorial Day Posted: 24 May 2014 02:57 PM PDT Boston Magazine’s Associate Digital Editor, Yiqing Shao, was recently assigned to cover the Flag Garden in Boston Common, an annual event which takes place every Memorial Day weekend; one American Flag is “planted” into the lawn for every Massachusetts resident that has fallen at war dating from the Revolutionary War through present time. This year’s event displays 37,000 flags, which you can see in the image captured by Shao: American Flag garden in Boston Common (Via Boston Magazine/Facebook. Click to see full size.) The Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund organizes the memorial every year, gathering 500 volunteers to help place the flags. The last 205 flags were set in place during a special ceremony to honor the soldiers that have died since 9/11. Go to full article: Interesting Photo of the Day: 37,000 Flags Planted in Boston Common for Memorial Day What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+ Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

Is a Photography Workshop Right for You? Posted: 24 May 2014 01:11 PM PDT What sort of person does go on a photography workshop? The answer cannot be a simple one, as people are not simple. “TDS Sonoma Coast Workshop 1″ captured by Derrick Story Motivations There are a variety of reasons for even considering a photography workshop. The obvious one is education—the desire to learn something. That just gets us into a whole new field as there is so much to learn about photography and much that can be learned applies only to certain stages of your development as a photographer. For instance, a beginner may be interested in getting to grips with aperture settings and depth-of-field, while a more experienced photographer might be looking to work on her composition. Education need not stop with the image capture either. Photography has always had a post-capture phase, and this remains critical in the development of final work. A related but different motivation is inspiration. As individuals, we often reach a plateau in our development of some particular skill, and it takes something special to reach the next level. A wholly new experience, such as a workshop where you can see other photographers doing their thing, could be exactly the spark that is needed. This is even more true where the workshop is led by someone whose work you admire. Taking that theme one stage further, you might be at the point in your photography where you are seeking a set of attributes which, taken together, would be your style. A workshop offers a chance to see a developed style (that of the workshop leader) as well as other styles at various stages of development. Understanding the progression can help with your self-confidence and should also help you to recognize what it is that makes your images yours. “Dhurt Espina Photography Workshop ~ 2014″ captured by Nollitsac Ryan (Click image to see more from Ryan.) We should not forget the social element of photography workshops. Unless you are lucky enough to have a family member who is also a photographer, it is likely that you will very much appreciate spending some time with other individuals who are. No need for compromises; you’ll enjoy full days of doing and talking the business. A final motivation to mention here is your portfolio. It can be assumed that your workshop will be held somewhere suitably photogenic and that you will take a lot of photos, hopefully of an improving standard. “Yosemite Workshop” captured by Brian Leng (Click image to see more from Leng.) Some photographers may actually choose a workshop to develop some extra variety in their collection of images, whether or not they see that as a separate issue from the learning experience. Constraints Each of us has constraints that limit what we would like to do to a more practical what we can do. The two most significant are usually time and money. Everyone is familiar with juggling these two balls so, no advice needed. You may also need to take into account your age, general fitness or health issues, especially where travel is involved. If you have any mobility concerns then it will pay to read the program of activities carefully and ensure that you will be able to keep up with the group. Groups can slow down a bit if necessary but are not always good at coping with significant exceptions. Your nationality can affect travel too—with paperwork and security issues to think about. The best advice available here will be your own government’s travel advice, usually available online. There can be no hard and fast rules about whether you are the right sort of person to go on a photography workshop. You will have to add up the different factors above and apply your own weightings. How motivated are you? What constraints are you under? Only when you get a feel for the reward vs. cost balance will you know where on the scale you lie and whether now is the time. If not, it is a decision you should keep returning to—for if you got this far, it is likely that you will be going on a workshop at some stage in your life. If you do decide that you are the right sort of person to go on a photography workshop, the next decision is which one? About the Author: Ian is Operations Manager and Webmaster for Photo Tours Abroad. Go to full article: Is a Photography Workshop Right for You? What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+ Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

How to do Vintage Black & White Tones for Engagement Photos (Video) Posted: 24 May 2014 11:34 AM PDT It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s amazing and that moment is upon you now. You went out with a couple for a regular run-of-the-mill engagement shoot and, as you sort through images, you realize that one of them is portfolio-worthy and would fare shockingly well in black and white—and perhaps even better with a vintage film grain. In this short tutorial, Pye explains how to create that timeless vintage effect in Adobe Lightroom 5 with just a few simple steps. He uses SLR Lounge’s Lightroom Presets V5 to accomplish the deed, but also explains specific image settings and provides additional on-location and workflow advice to consider: On Location Scout for great locations. Don’t just “wing it” during a photo session when choosing locations. Professional photographers always have several perfect locations in mind going into a photoshoot and are prepared to take amazing photos at any of them. The L.A. bridge in the photo used for the tutorial was identified beforehand by Pye as an ideal shooting location because of its amazing “up-ground.” Compose strategically. Find those leading lines and eye-catching highlights and find a way to incorporate them into your composition and point to your subjects. In the video, Pye got low to capture the bridge’s up-ground and positioned himself and the couple so that one of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling was right in between the couple. This funnels viewers’ eyes right where the photographer wants them to go and lends the image greater staying power. “Our eyes go directly to the brighter area of the image. If I can use that highlight and incorporate my subject over it, then our eyes are naturally drawn to that area,” said Pye. “And you’ll notice that I took an angle that allows me to use [the ceiling] lines as leading lines directly to the couple. So, all these lines, they lead to one place, which is love.” It is also worth mentioning that the photographer observed the rule of thirds by making 2/3 of the image negative space and 1/3 of the image positive space. Pose them well. In addition to knowing where to position clients in the frame, it’s equally as important to know how to position them in the frame and with each other (read here for specifics on posing couples).  To correctly shoot “up-ground” photos without getting unappealing perspective distortion, ask the couple to lean from the hip towards the camera until they are perpendicular to you. “It’s going to feel very awkward and uncomfortable for them,” said Pye, “but it’s going to look absolutely great inside your camera, because when you’re shooting perpendicular, you negate that little perspective distortion that you get by shooting bottom up and then you get your background as well, or your up-ground in your shot.” This photo was the result of expert planning and execution. Post-Production Decide whether to use black & white or color. There are drawbacks to converting a color image to black and white, but those looking to accomplish a timeless, vintage look in a particular image would do well to nix the colors, assuming there are no ultra-modern elements in the image and that the color really isn’t that great to begin with. Make basic adjustments manually or by using presets. Using SLR Lounge presets, Pye followed these basic adjustment steps: Select “Dark Fade – Filmic B&W” from the BASE – SOFT STYLIZED preset menu. Select “Brighten +2.0″ from the ADJUST – EXPOSURE preset menu. Select “Darken – Medium (-15, -30)” from the ADJUST- SHADOWS BLACKS preset menu. Select “Contrast Boost – Heavy” from the ADJUST – CONTRAST preset menu. Select “Max Film Grain” from the SFX – FILM & LENS preset menu. The actual settings controlled by these presets culminate like this: Exposure: +2.0 Contrast: +75 Highlights: -30 Shadows: -15 Whites: -30 Blacks: -30 Clarity: -10 Sharpening: +25 Sharpening – Radius: +1.5 Sharpening – Detail: +10 Sharpening – Masking: +30 Noise Reduction: 0 Lens Corrections – Vignetting – Amount: -30 Lens Corrections – Vignetting – Midpoint: +30 Grain – Amount: +90 Grain – Size: +30 Grain – Roughness: +30 Make local adjustments. Lightroom is equipped with advanced local adjustment tools, so dodge, burn, clone, add filters, and de-sharpen to your heart’s content. Just remember that it’s often best to take large quantities of local adjustments into Photoshop, since Lightroom tends to lag with local adjustments. Pye made the following local adjustments to create the final image shown below: Graduated Filter: 03 Burn (Darken) -0.5 Adjustment Brush: 03 Burn (Darken) -0.5 Adjustment Brush: 43 Heavy Desharpener The grainy vintage look is also called “filmic.” Parting Advice Perform advanced editing very selectively. Advanced Lightroom editing requires precious time and effort, so decide which images are worth advanced editing and which ones would still greatly benefit from only very minor adjustments. Most of your images will only need basic Lightroom edits, such as color correction and a little sharpening or noise reduction. “We’re not necessarily spending 5-10 minutes on every single image that we develop. That’s too much time to spend if you have 2,000 images or 1,000 images to be delivering.” Do your own post production when starting out. Pye suggests this for two reasons: (1) because you need to develop your own signature post production “style” and (2) because post production will help you to become a better photographer. “Do every single wedding. Do every single engagement shoot, every single portrait session. Finish all the images yourself until you have that signature style locked in,” said Pye. “If you understand what you can do in post, you’re going to understand how to shoot even better. You’re going to understand the best way to shoot a particular scene based on what you know that you can do inside of Lightroom or inside of Photoshop.” Only after you have mastered your very own “style” and know how to take great photos should you think about outsourcing your post-processing or hiring in and expanding your business. Then, you’ll be able to devote more time to processing the images that merit advanced editing, doing personal photography projects, connecting with prospective clients, and doing all manner of other activities that will grow your business. Go to full article: How to do Vintage Black & White Tones for Engagement Photos (Video) What are your thoughts on this article? Join the discussion on Facebook or Google+ Article from: PictureCorrect Photography Tips

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