Photographer Phil Penman – His Top 5 Influences
Photographer Phil Penman shares 5 photographs that influenced his creative journey.
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How To Add Vignette And Grain Effects With Lightroom
“In this video, you’ll explore several ways to add vignette effects and simulate traditional film grain in Lightroom Classic.”
Watch more from Julianne Kost here.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.
Photographer Ibarionex – His Top 5 Influences
Photographer Ibarionex shares 5 photographs that influenced his creative journey.
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Removing Lens Distortions and Correcting Perspective in Lightroom Classic
“In this video, you’ll learn how to remove distortions caused by the camera lens using the Lens Correction panel as well as correct perspective distortions using the auto and guided upright options in the Transform Panel.”
Watch more from Julianne Kost here.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.
Photographer Sean Tucker – His Top 5 Influences
Photographer Sean Tucker shares 5 photographs that influenced his creative journey.
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Change These 7 Settings In Photoshop Right Now
“Change these photoshop settings for a more efficient Workflow and to save time. Colin Smith shares some Photoshop tips to help you work smarter and faster.”
00:00 intro
00:15 Get rid of the Welcome Screen
00:40 Better ai selections
01:35 Load up the Bags of Free Goodies
02:37 Put useful stuff at your fingertips
03:12 Where did I put that File?
03:40 Personalize the Interface
05:08 Pin that Taskbar
05:18 Color Settings
Find out more from Colin Smith at Photoshop Cafe.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.
Photographer Laura Wilson – Her Top 5 Influences
Photographer Laura Wilson shares 5 photographs that influenced her creative journey.
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Applying Capture Sharpening to Photos in Lightroom Classic
“In this video, Julieanne walks through the capture sharpening settings in the Detail panel in Lightroom Classic.”
Watch more from Julianne Kost here.
Learn more in my digital photography and digital printing workshops.
10 Benefits Of Building Bodies Of Work
“There’s nothing worse than a sharp picture of a fuzzy concept.” – Ansel Adams
One image is an idea. A body of work is a way of thinking. A collection of singular (5-star) images doesn't create a body of work. Singular images prove your craft. A body of work proves your artistry.
Benefits Of Working In Series
The benefits of developing projects are many. When you learn to present your images as a focused series rather than a random collection of photographs, you'll feel more fulfilled and be more accomplished, developing a deeper sense of your goals, vision, and style. You'll be able to share your images with others more meaningfully and memorably, increasing the chances of publication, exhibition, sales, and collection.
More Images Make Images More Useful
How many images does it take to create a body of work? At least twelve. Think of what you can do with a number of images. 12 or more images can fill a portfolio box or an exhibition space. 12+ images can make an exhibition and/or fill a portfolio box. 24+ images can make a catalog. 36+ images can make a book. Thinking about these outcomes before you begin to shoot can be useful.
Less Is More
You want each body of work to be as strong as possible. Clarify the signal. Eliminate the static. It's better to present just 12 strong images than to bury those same 12 images amid a flood of weaker images. In any body of work, maintain a high percentage of your highest quality work (4 and 5-star images). This is particularly true of small bodies of work. With so few players to state, develop, and conclude a theme, you've got to make every one count.
While weak work weakens strong work, less obvious smart or strongly felt work strengthens it. Images that don't represent your highest quality but still have integrity (3-star images) can be very useful for adding complexity, nuance, and context. Don't overlook these kinds of images, but limit them. Pockets of weaker images create eddies and lulls that can dilute or divert the flow of the main idea. Too many become distracting. To avoid this, punctuate or surround them with stronger images.
One of the benefits of developing a body of work is that you make relative comparisons between many of your images, learning which of your images are stronger or more interesting, what makes them that way, and how to make more in the future.
Theme
What separates a few great images with style (how you say what you say) from a body of work is vision (what you have to say), which gives style purpose. (See The Differences Between Vision & Style.) You'll find out what your voice (vision and style combined) is when you develop a body of work as it reveals your themes (enduring preoccupations). When you develop your themes, you go further and dig deeper. >
Why Singular Images Are So Important And Why They’re Not Everything
Call them 5-star images. They’re the images that make an instant impression, capable of grabbing a viewer’s attention amid a flood of other choices. Singular images are the ones that get the most likes on social networks, the top (and sometimes only) image on a webpage, the first and last images in a slideshow, the one used for a card to an exhibition or a poster promoting it, the cover plus the opening and closing pages of a book. Singular images are the heat.
Singular images are classically composed with strong graphic structures that are simplified and dynamic. The dramas they tell are easily grasped and digested. Color contrast (of luminosity, hue, and/or saturation) is high. Rarely will a singular image have technical flaws; they can afford no distractions. It’s rare that a singular image doesn’t exhibit these characteristics. For an image to be considered singular without them, it has to be exceptionally strong in other areas.
Some high-impact images don’t have legs. They sizzle and fizzle. They may be graphically compelling, but they may not offer anything exceptional beyond their execution. You may need to give images a waiting period to discover this. When determining whether an image’s payout is short or long, ask yourself some questions. Does the image sustain attention? Does it tell an interesting story? Does it make the viewer think? Does it work on multiple levels? Does it elude easy definition? Does it haunt the viewer long after it is seen? The very best singular images do it all. These are the truly great images.
It takes time to amass a number of singular images. Singular images often involve strokes of luck. No matter how talented, skilled, and prepared you are, it’s almost impossible to guarantee inspiration. But you can learn to recognize when it’s present and what it takes to cultivate and sustain it ...