A Lightroom gotcha

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As you’ve heard me say many times: turn on the xml file option in Adobe Lightroom “catalog settings”.

Look it up: “save settings to xmp”. That allows Lightroom to save all edits you do into a separate XML file. That gives you some redundancy, in case your catalog file somehow gets corrupted. And that is important, because the catalog IS Lightroom. And if you are a serious photographer, that means that the catalog is your life.

So I just noticed something that I never noticed before: this does not work for jpg pictures. It only works for raw pictures. So if your catalog gets corrupted and you shoot jog: you’re out of luck. Unless yin make daily backups. Which I hope you do.

But the main take-away from this? Shoot raw. Now you have yet anoth reason to do so.

 

 

Night time.

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It’s early night, here in Brantford, Ontario.

20160122-MW5D6034-1024-2

The full moon pretty much guarantees that the local police will have a busy night. And I am taking a snapshot on my way from the convenience store to my home. The moon needs “Sunny Sixteen” (search for it here). Meaning it is as bright as earth at noon on a sunny day.

So getting them together is impossible. And when you want to get a photo like the one above, your best bet is to slightly over-expose the moon, so that you can get at least some light into the dark part of the picture.

Why don’t you go outside right now to take a few snaps?

Lowlife miscreants.

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…have hacked this blog. Apologies to all. There’s always going to be criminals, I guess.

I may now need to simply take the blog down: many files appear corrupted and fixing that needs an expert WordPress programmer. This would be a shame: after 8 years of posts, taking down the blog would be horrible. If you see no blog here, apologies.

Also, getting the content back on a new blog may be impossible. Stay tuned and we will see.

If www.speedlighter is unreachable, please check out www.michaelwillems.ca for more news.

Michael

SOOC, almost

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This is virtually straight out of camera (“SOOC”):

Life model Kim Gorenko straight out of the camera, in Toronto, Ontario, this evening.

I would hope that all shooters take photos out of the camera, rather than after an hour or two of photoshopping…!

 

Learning Opportunities

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Have you always wanted to like your work more? Always wanted to be admired for your creative talent? Always wanted to be exhibited? Always wanted to be able to translate vision to photo?
Then if the drive to Oshawa isn’t too far (it isn’t for me from Brantford) then I have some GREAT upcoming learning opportunities.
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What should I buy?

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I hear that a lot, that question. Especially as in “should I buy Canon or Nikon”, or “can I buy Olympus [etc])?”.

That is a tough question to which there is no one good answer except “it depends”. It depends on things like:

  • Are you already invested in lenses, etc, of one brand? Then that has the edge. Provided you can use that equipment.
  • Do you want a LOT of support, knowledge, available third party hardware, etc? In that case “Canon or Nikon” is a good answer. There is less support for Pentax, Olympus, Fuji, and so on. If that is very important to you, shy away from those. But it is only important to some people, who use their equipment very intensively.
  • Do you like the menus, etc, of one brand or another? Personally, I do not like the Sony menus one bit. That would at least slightly edge me toward that brand if I were to buy new equipment from scratch.
  • Do you really like one brand or another? Then buy that brand.
  • Is the range of cameras, lenses, flashes, etc better in one of the brands you are considering? Then that is the right answer.

There are no bad brands: technically, these are great times to be a photographer. I think that a very important thing is to actually hold the equipment you are considering and use it for at least a few minutes. If you do not love the gear you are holding in thos eminutes, you will never love it.

So in essence: buy the brand you like, but hold it by the logic of the points above.

Michael

PS: if you want to be admired for your work, consider my VIP Dutch Master Class sessions later this month and in early February: now with different VIP bonus, longer duration, and fewer students.

Size Matters

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Focal length, that is; i.e. size of your lens. For example, when doing portraits.

General rule for headshots: the longer the lens, the better.

But it is not the lens that does the magic. It is your proximity to the subject.

With a short lens, like a 50mm, you need to be close to the subject. That causes some distortion; the closer, the more.

With a 200mm lens, however, you can be far, leading to a much more neutral, less distorted view:

See the difference? And that is viible on real faxes, too:

…and that is why my 70-200 lens is my favourite portrait lens. Provided I have enough space.

And that is where the second advantage comes in: being farther away, you are perceived as less “threatening” by your subjects. Meaning less awkwardness.

 

 

Unleash your creativity

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Everyone knows the Dutch Masters. Names like Vermeer, Van Gogh, Jan Steen, Hieronymus Bosch, and Rembrandt. Names that immediately evoke visions of mastery of light, creativity, and unsurpassed technical skills.

  • Have you ever wanted to be as creative as a Dutch Master?
  • Have you ever wanted to be complimented on your photographic work?
  • Have you ever wanted to have solo exhibits of your work?
  • Have you ever felt that there was so much more in you than you are getting out?

Unleash your creativity and be the photography pro that you really are. With a unique teaching style that takes its inspiration from hundreds of years of Dutch artistry and of Dutch exploration and discovery, award-winning photographer Michael Willems (who, incidentally, is a Dutch Canadian) will teach you the skills that you need in one of three unique Dutch Master Class days.

Act now: these VIP Photography Days are restricted to very small groups of emerging photographers. Pick your preferred day, and in a group of no more than 5 photographers you will learn the technical skills you need; you will learn how to see; you will get a one-on-one review of your work, and we review your skills and your knowledge gaps. Subjects include flash, studio portraiture, shooting a model, and many more, and will feature an introduction to both Adobe Lightroom and Printing. You will leave with real pro experience, vast technical knowledge, a new-found enlightenment and confidence, and a way of really seeing the exquisite detail of the world around you.

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Contact michael@willems.ca today to lock in your chosen day.

 

Long.

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Portrait lenses, anyone?

“The closer you are, the bigger the nose will be”. So a wide angle lens, which needs you to be close, gives you distorted portraits.  On the other hand, an infinitely long lens (say, a 1,000,000mm lens) will give you zero distortion.

Time for examples.

20mm:

100MM

Can you see that the wider 20mm lens, which needs you to be closer to the subject, distorts that subject more? While a longer 100mm lens makes the image look more neutral. In fact, the longer the lens, the less the distortion.

My favourite headshot lens is my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. For half/full body fashion shoots, it is the 85mm f/1.2 lens.

Fur full body only shoots? 50mm, maybe.

Anything environmental? Wider. Maybe 35, 24, or even 16 or even 10mm. Enjoy!

 

Learning Lightroom!

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A quick reminder: if you want to learn Adobe Lightroom, watch my Lightroom TIPS videos:

https://www.youtube.com/user/cameratraining/videos

Most videos on that channel are Lightroom Tips. You will no doubt find them useful.  Also, come to me for private lessons and setup (in person or via Google Hangouts, worldwide), if you want your PC or Mac set up right, once and for all.

Have fun watching!