Archive for Tips – Page 3

Tip of the Week: Macro Mode

By admin · Comments (0) · Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Remember as a kid discovering the whole new world beneath your feet while playing on the grass?  When you got very close to the ground, you could see an entire community of creatures that you never knew existed.

Well, you don’t always need a fancy DSLR to get great Macro shots.  These days, you might not want to lie on your belly in the backyard,  but if you activate the close up mode on your point and shoot or basic DSLR digital camera and begin to explore your world in finer detail, you’ll be rewarded with fresh new images unlike anything you’ve ever shot before.

Even the simplest object takes on new fascination in Macro Mode.  And the best part is that it’s so easy to do with digital cameras.

If you want to learn more about Macro and Cloe up photography, join Ron Brewer on Saturday, February 27th from 9am to 4pm as he teaches everything Macro and Close-up.

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Tip of the Week: Convert to sRGB

By admin · Comments (0) · Monday, February 8th, 2010

It is a good idea to shoot and edit in the widest colorspace available.  Typically, this is Adobe RGB 1998.  If you set your camera to this color space, shoot in RAW, and have this as your default colorspace in Photoshop or Elements, it will give you the most possible color information in each shot.  However, when it comes time to output to print or web, Adobe RGB 1998 is too wide… your images will look flat and lifeless.  Or worse, the colors could shift. So…

For print:  When you are done editing your image, go to the Edit menu and select “Convert to Profile…” then select sRGB from the Destination Space popup.  Your prints will look much better.  Save this image as a copy (flatten it first) and append “_sRGB” to the filename so you remember what it is. 

For web/email:  In Photoshop CS4, when you select “Save for Web and Devices,” there is now a “Convert to sRGB” checkbox.  Make sure this is checked!

For more Photoshop tips and learning, join David Green for Photoshop 201 starting on Thursday, February 11th  from 7 to 10pm.

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Tip of the Week: Depth of Field

By admin · Comments (0) · Monday, February 1st, 2010

When photographing a subject that is somewhat close, a lot of times the subject can appear flat or boring, especially if you have zoomed in to fill the frame.

To add interest to the photography, include an object  in the foreground to enhance the sense of depth.  This leads the viewer’s eye around and through the scene, from the foreground to the subject in the distance.

For more Basic Camera information, attend our Basic DSLR Camera workshop on Saturday, February 6, 2010.

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Tip of the Week: Digital Cameras and Cold Weather…

By admin · Comments (0) · Monday, January 25th, 2010

As winter is truly upon us, one must remember that when we  bring a digital camera from cold weather into a warm house, car or hotel this can cause problems.  When you bring a cold camera indoors, there is the possibility of condensation forming.  One way to help that, is to wrap your camera gear in a towel, and let the equipment come up to room temperature.  The towel will absorb the moisture, and thus assisting in the reduction of possible condensation.  There are several different ways or schools of thought regarding how to prevent condensation, but find the method that works best for you and your situation.

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Tip of the Week: Lightroom Sorting

By admin · Comments (0) · Monday, January 18th, 2010

Did you know you can sort your photos in Lightroom by Edit Time?  In the Library Module there is a very useful sort option called Edit Time.  Sorting the grid view by Edit Time will display the thumbnails with the most recent ones at the top of the grid.

This is an easy way to select all of the photos that have had any form of editing applied.  Note that adding keywords counts as editing.

For more information, sign-up for our Lightroom workshop on January 19, 2010 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

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Tip of the Week:Did you know…..

By admin · Comments (0) · Monday, January 11th, 2010

You hear a lot about the power of Adobe Camera RAW (ACR), but did you know you don’t have to shoot RAW to you use it? You can also open JPEG and TIFF files. Simply open Adobe Bridge, select the image you want to open in Adobe Camera RAW, then select “Open in Camera RAW…” from the file menu. (You can also press Ctrl-R in Windows or Cmd-R on a Mac.) You get all the non-destructive editing power of ACR, on your non-RAW images!

For more Photoshop ideas, sign up for our Photoshop 101 workshop series with David Green starting on Wednesday, February 13, 2010.

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Current Newsletter

Were heading into the dog days of summer and it seems everyone is either getting ready to head out on vacation, or like me, just returning from a photography trip. I was catching up on more than 1200 emails and one in particular caught my eye, a short article talking about 5 tips to shake up your travel photography from Jim Maher. Below is the short version of that article that we hope you enjoy and helps spur some great images in the very near future:

Forget the stock photos and focus on daily life: Sometimes when we are in a beautiful place all we can think about is taking photos of the beautiful architecture, the monuments and the wonders that we travelled to see. But these things are not necessarily what gives a place its essence and its soul. Stop and think about how you feel. What is creating that feeling?
Combine the old with the new: We all want to photograph another time period. So try and seek out moments that combine the old with the new - that pay homage to the past but update it with a modern twist.
Turn your camera away from the sunset: Sunsets are beautiful, but can be cheesy. Over the course of a couple of hours, the light from a sunset will constantly change colors. Set up your tripod, relax, and take identical shots of your surroundings with the different color pallets. Frame them side by side on your wall, and they will look stunning.
Combine a simple detail shot with a great story: Shooting one single frame that says everything is a very powerful image. Finding that image may not be easy, but when you do, you will know it!
Capture the locals: It is the locals both people and animals that give most destinations their true feelings, so go out and capture them!

If a one on one workshop is more your style, we can customize one just for you. Just give us a call. And remember, SCV Center for Photography workshops make great gifts.