A strength of Photoshop is being able to perform edits non-destructively. Most edits can be performed on their own layer, preserving the original background layer. The Spot Healing Brush, Clone Stamp, and Patch tools all work this way and they can all be used to remove unwanted objects non-destructively. However, if you have ever tried to remove an object from an image using Content-Aware Fill, you will have noticed that you can’t do this on a new blank layer. This…
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How to Critique Your Photos Accurately
In general, photographers are very good at deciding how much they like someone else’s photo. It isn’t hard — your first reaction to a shot is either positive or negative, and it typically doesn’t change much after that. Things get more complicated, though, when you’re talking about your own work. For me, at least, I find it tough to judge the quality of some photos I’ve taken. Sure, I know when a photo is awful, but what about the other…
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Replacing GAS with SAS
Three anniversaries of ‘firsts’ have been in a state of convergence for me this fall. Number one is my daughter’s first wedding anniversary. The next is the fourth anniversary of my first visit to Utah. And, the last one is the third anniversary of my first article being published here at Photography Life. Each of them in their own way has caused me to think about why many of us replace our camera gear on a frequent basis…and quite likely do so needlessly.
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How to Reduce Camera Shake on a Tripod
Camera shake can be a real hassle and pain when shooing off a tripod. Sometimes camera shake can be completely eliminated with a couple of simple steps and other times, it can be quite painful and sometimes even impossible to deal with. How does one reduce camera shake? Are remote shutter releases helpful in reducing camera shake? Is it possible to eliminate it completely? Since I see this issue so often in the field, I decided to write a detailed…
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The Best Place in the World for Amateur Night Sky Photographers
The Atacama Desert on the Chilean high plateau of Altiplano and the Mauna Kea Summit on the Big Island of Hawaii are generally recognized as the two best places for astronomical observations. However, in this article, I argue that the best place for amateur night sky photography is elsewhere. It is in Hawaii too, but on the Island of Maui. It is the extinct Haleakala volcano. Although smaller than the Mauna Kea volcano, Haleakala might actually be better suited for…
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How to Improve Your Photography
Among the many articles I have read here, at Photography Life, the most controversial are the ones that especially call my attention. Despite being against the polemics, I am in favor of sincere dialogue, because through dialogue we can grow internally too. In my opinion, there are several steps that one can take in order to make better pictures. Therefore, I invite you all to carry out a reflection on the subject.
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DIY: Reliable and Cheap Universal White Balance Reference Device
DIY projects are always popular, so we’ve decided to throw another one into the mix. This particular little idea comes from a problem that many photographers have – where do you get a good, small, white/gray surface to use for white balancing your RAW shots in conversion?
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Letting Your Personal Style Find You
I think that so many of us love photography because of its inherently dichotomous nature. On one hand photography is an art form which allows each of us incredible creative latitude for visual expression. That is counterbalanced by the complexity of the technical considerations that can come into play when creating images.
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5 Simple Lightroom Tips You Might Not Know About
Adobe Lightroom is arguably the most widely-used image editing software around these days. While most of our readers are probably quite familiar with it, a piece of software as complex as Lightroom is sure to have some tricks and features that not everyone knows about. What I’d like to do today is share a few of those with you. If some of these are new to you, enjoy having some new tricks up your sleeve! If these are old news…
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Sports Photography at CMU
Earlier this summer I posted an article about cityscape and architecture photography in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I am extremely grateful for the positive response that article received; thank you! Many photographers specialize in one genre, but urban environments make up less than half of my subjects. Sports photography is my other passion, and it is what inspired me to begin my journey as a photographer.
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