Dodge and Burn: Two tools that can take your images to the next level

Photoshop is a complex program that contains more potential uses than any person could ever figure out.  You may be amazing with photoshop, but a year from now you'll look back and laugh at some of the methods you used to use.  About a year ago, I thought I had it all figured out and that I was editing my images to their full greatest potential.  Man was I off!  I bet within a year I will be putting these current edits to shame, but for now I'm pleased with the results.

(After Dodge and Burn applied + lens correction)

Using Layers in Photoshop to merge exposures

Photoshop is a gargantuan program developed for people to do everything they could ever want (aside from vector graphics..)  It's a huge undertaking to learn, but honestly I feel that no one knows everything that the program can do.  That's why it works well to break it down, experiment once in a while, but stick with the things that you know how to do for each image that needs it.

Final Image with outside and inside exposures combined.

Just typing this article seems daunting for me, but hopefully once you've read it you will have the know-how to layer your own images.

Don't be scared.... I'll hold your hand all the way through this!

Photoshop Actions: Speed up your computer time

Photoshop can easily be the most time consuming process in a photographer's workflow.  Time spent in front of the computer equates to time lost for shooting.  It's fun at first, but after editing for hours it becomes repetitive and boring.  Using the actions feature will significantly speed up your workflow and get you back out shooting!

Shadow/Highlights Masking with Photoshop CS4

before

after

One of my all time favorite adjustments that I will perform on just about every single image is shadow/highlights.  This is a very simple tool that if used correctly, will yield incredible results.  The most important detail about this tool is that it CAN be overdone.  If you over do highlight recovery, you will lose your true whites, and if you overuse shadows, you will have a halo around the darker spots of your images.  

Up and Down days.

Every job has it's ups and downs and photography is no exception. Occasionally I will find myself sitting at home wondering why my career is not where I think it should be, and if I'm really good enough to make a living off photography.  This is normal.  It's easy to get on top of the world one day, and then lose all confidence the next.

Ladies Restroom photography...need I say more?

On-Location photography with mixed lighting, and a failing flash is a worst case scenario for someone like me.  I definitely prefer the great outdoors, with a simple mixture of sun in the equation.

I was assigned to shoot photos for a case-study this week at the Eagle County Regional Airport.  They needed photos of the partitions in the ladies restroom, along with photos of the GM of the airport and the architect who designed them.  Pretty weird if you ask me....

Camera Basics 101: Shooting RAW

(If you've just arrived for the first time at All Photo Buzz, there is an index on the right side that will allow you to look at only the articles that interest you.  There is a LOT of free information here, so take some time and look around.)


I remember when I first started shooting.  The camera arrived at my house, and I had no idea where it would honestly take me!  About 4-5 years has passed since that day, and I still feel there are a million more things for me to learn.  Today, shooting in RAW format almost all the time is the most important lesson for my career.  Almost every commercial client is looking for either a RAW file straight from the camera, or a TIF file after being edited in photoshop.  


When you shoot in JPEG, your camera automatically makes all the editing calls. It adjusts the exposure, shadow brightness, highlight darkness, curves, sharpening, and many others.  Then it compresses the image down by saving only a few details in similar areas.


This can be great for those shoots where the client doesn't require the highest quality images, and for shoots that involve repetition.  If I'm shooting a bike race to sell images directly to the racers, I will shoot in a mode that records a RAW file and a JPEG.  This way I can get the photos online for sale as soon as I am home.  If the JPEG doesn't look right, I can still open the RAW file and do my own edit.


The rest of the time I am ALWAYS shooting in RAW mode.  One day several years back, I received a call from Powder Magazine.  They were interested in using one of the photos I had submitted!  The file was originally a JPEG, that I had upscaled(never do this!!!) to a TIF file to meet their submittal requirements.  The editor asked that I send him a RAW file.  When he heard that the original was  a JPEG, he almost instantly turned down the image. I sent him the actual JPEG, and he realized that I had done a lot of editing to make it look like what he was seeing.  


It's extremely disappointing to lose a sale simply because you didn't know any better, although I'm sure this happens to everyone at some point in their early career.  Think of a RAW file as an untouched image.  The file is still full size, and has the capacity for a lot of editing.  It's also far more forgiving if your original is over or under exposed.  If you are becoming serious and still shooting JPEG all the time, switch the file setting in your camera to RAW now.  Through all the control you gain and potential for MANY more sales, you will never look back again!


Remember:  All RAW files require some degree of editing.  They will generally lack contrast when you first open them, and will always need some degree of sharpening.  They are also very large files, so get a large external hard drive.  Once you learn to edit them however, you will never want to shoot any other way.